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A soft plop sound filled the quiet alleyway, as a broken pipe dripped water into a growing puddle. On top of a closed dumpster sat one of the Church of the True Eye's acolytes, tugging at the stitches around her neck. A small blade sat on the skin of her thigh, no longer in use. There was no feeling of pain, or the odd, wire substance that was her blood dripping down her leg slowly, like a crude reminder that she wasn't an inphernal. It shouldn't have mattered to her as much as it did, the Father loved all, including her, yet it still felt so odd. She wasn't like the other Church members, and it upset her. It felt strange, knowing that everyone else was exactly the same as the other. Fragile. Maybe even more than glass. Most were, emotionally. Broker was used to walking into the infirmary to pay Medkit a small little visit, and seeing some poor souls crying over injuries she'd experienced ten times worse. Her eyebrows furrowed as she finally let her hand drop to her side, hitting the top of the dumpster. Someone else was here, someone she didn't recognize. It wasn't Scythe, because if it was, she'd hear the sweet, honeyed drawl of the Southern woman and the jingle of her spurs. If it was Medkit, she would've heard the sound of her hooves hitting concrete, and maybe she'd recognize the faint hospital smell that stuck with the doctor. Whoever had joined the acolyte in the alleyway seemed to not want to be discovered, which was more than fine with Broker. The acolyte was more than content remaining alone, without conversation.
As if all odds were against her, however, the sound of boots approaching Broker startled her enough to shove the blade off herself, her face twisting into a wince of the sound of metal hitting concrete revealing where exactly she was. The footsteps stopped for a second, a small breath of relief escaping her as she shut her eyes just to relax herself for a moment. When she opened again, however, her gaze quickly went to the tall figure standing just a few feet away from her. A startled screech escaped her, as she jolted backwards. The cackling from the false god before her made her head hurt in a way that made her want to tear out her brains and shove it down this entity's throat. She considered getting a needle and poking out her eardrums just to be graced with the perfect silence of never hearing this terrible laughter. Her face was quick to scrunch up into a scowl instead of it's previous fear, as she instead turned to look away from the horrid being in front of her.
Darkheart slowly began to approach Broker, a snicker escaping her as she stopped just in front of the acolyte. The fact she was sitting atop a dumpster made them be eye to eye, despite the fact the deity had no eyes. She let a hand land over the acolyte's, who attempted to jerk away from the cold touch that was Darkheart's leather-like skin.
"What's a pretty cultist doing out here, cutting herself like a teenager?"
The deity's voice seemed to be made to cause discomfort, as that's exactly what it did for Broker. She tried to tug her hand free once more, only to furrow her eyebrows when she realized it wasn't going to do her any good. She gave no response to Darkheart, instead turning her head away to look towards the alleyway entrance. She could see inphernals walking by, along with the palm trees and fairy lights tied around them. The ignorance only seemed to fuel such an annoying false god, however, as she pushed closer to the acolyte and wrapped her free arm around Broker's waist.
"Oh, come on now. You can't just ignore us like we're some measly child. And here we thought we meant something to you!"
Darkheart whined, truly contradicting her statement of being a "measly child" when she was acting just like one. The acolyte clenched her teeth, as she tilted her head backwards slightly just to avoid even looking at the god that was being oddly affectionate towards her.
"Clearly you don't if I am actively attempting to ignore you."
Broker muttered, the statement more so being a thought she accidentally vocalized. It wasn't like she was going to apologize to the false god, though. She had no care for fake things, especially when it came to gods that burned cities for fun.
A slow breath escaped her when Darkheart leaned her head against the acolyte's chest like a dog. She didn't protest it, the feeling of something against her felt disappointingly comforting despite it being a deity she loathed more than anything. The silence between them felt awkward now, at least to the acolyte. Maybe because she denied the deity meaning something to her, only to allow being leaned against like she was a damn pillow. It felt odd, having the weight of a hug, if that's what she could even label this. It was nice, not as good as a hug from Scythe, but it felt like the false god was attempting to comfort her. Either that or it was another game of Darkheart's that would just fuel the hatred for the deity. Either way, she wasn't going to pull away, even if she should. She let a small sigh escape her, remaining tense enough to be prepared in case the deity decided to switch up and attempt to slaughter her, but relaxed enough to let the hug feel less awkward.
"Attempting to ignore us, you say."
The deity finally spoke up, her tone mocking as she lifted her head to stare at Broker's face. The grin on her face seemed to widen as she watched the acolyte's face contort from a mild content expression to offense. Broker shifted backwards once more, as she attempted to push Darkheart away from herself.
"I was tolerating you for a mere second, don't turn this into something more than what it is!"
The acolyte argued, managing to twist herself from the chaotic entity's grasp and get off the dumpster. The maimed skin of her body protested, but it was barely even acknowledged due to the nerve damage. The smug look on Darkheart's face didn't go unnoticed.
"What?"
She questioned, her irritation seeming to build the longer she hung around this mistake of an entity. Maybe it was just a side effect of being near such a headache inducing creature. Darkheart took a few steps closer to Broker, in which the criminal reacted by immediately stepping backwards to avoid getting as close as they were earlier.
"Dear us, you act like we plan on slaughtering you. We aren't that bad."
Darkheart complained, as she lazily flicked a wrist.
"Besides, we thought you were enjoying our little...hug."
She added on, taking a small step closer to the acolyte once more. Broker didn't back up, though her lips did press into a thin line. She did find the moment nice, but she really would rather die than do whatever else the false god had planned. She had to get back to the church eventually, as well. She stared at the deity for a moment before she huffed.
"Just because I didn't scream that you were forcing a hug onto me doesn't mean I enjoyed being held by a false god."
She spoke, her irritation slowly starting to get the best of her. This entity was annoying, it made her want to tear her intestines out and hang herself with them. The laughter that followed her statement from the deity only bothered her more, as she took another glance towards the entrance of the alleyway once more. Her gaze finally looked to the ground, noting her blade on the concrete. It wasn't good enough to use anymore, too dull, and now covered in whatever other stuff that would be on the ground. It was also probably useless against a deity two times her height. When she finally focused back on Darkheart, she noted that she was closer than before. The deity had a smug look on her face, as her hand came to caress the skin on Broker's face.
"We're honestly surprised you haven't ran off by now."
She spoke, her thumb tracing the area under Broker's false eye before she dragged a claw down her cheek, tearing at the skin just slightly to irritate it. Of course, the acolyte probably felt nothing from it, which disappointed the deity. Broker jerked back, trying to escape Darkheart's hands the best she could. The deity huffed before she slapped Broker across the face.
"Of course you try to now that we mention it. You really can't think for yourself, can you? Is that why you're in that pathetic little cult?"
She mocked, watching as the acolyte stumbled back a little. The silence that followed between them was thick, as Broker processed everything that just happened in the past few seconds. The false deity, the one who was just holding her minutes prior, just slapped her. Then again, though, the deity was related to that wretched Firebrand, so why would she expect anything different from Darkheart? Maybe it was the fact she had been oddly gentle earlier, or the fact she just hoped that the false god would've been kind to her. What had she hoped for with this monstrosity of an entity? She knew she loathed it, but for some odd reason she didn't enjoy, she wanted Darkheart to care for her in some twisted way. She didn't know, and she really didn't wanna find out why this hurt her so much. She finally stopped staring at the ground before she responded.
"I can think for myself just fine."
Her voice trembled, making her cringe internally. She sounded pathetic, like a kicked puppy. It made her want to run to the church and never see this false deity ever again. She tensed as the deity lifted her hand once more, flinching backwards as she expected yet another slap, or maybe another odd scratch to the face. The pain was barely even there, a dull sensation, but she'd rather avoid having her face be red than anything else. Darkheart's hand came to the side of her head, grasping her right horn. It was weird, technically she was grabbing something literally connected to her skull. But she wasn't trying to tear it out like newspawns did, or inphernals that ended up dead because of her. The acolyte stared at Darkheart for a while, completely confused. She wasn't tugging, so clearly this wasn't a murder plot. What was it, then? It made her feel unintelligent, a feeling she loathed more than the deities. She let out a shaky breath.
"Aren't you not allowed to interact with inphernals?"
She questioned, feeling like she had some form of leverage now. Even if it was a petty statement that probably meant nothing to Darkheart. The deity hummed in thought before she brought her other hand up to trace Broker's jaw with her thumb.
"Well, who are you gonna go to? The police? As a wanted criminal? Seems like you'd just turn yourself in, just for little ol' us too..."
The deity responded, then leaning in close. Closer than before. The sight of a false god being so close to her made a shiver run down Broker's spine, as she turned her head to the side slowly.
"You may be right on that, but must you be so...close? You smell like fish guts."
She muttered, her nose scrunching slightly in disgust. Darkheart gave a scoff, pulling backwards. She released Broker, as she crossed her arms.
"Us? You didn't seem to have many complaints about us before, or the fact you were sat atop a dumpster just moments prior to our wonderful arrival!"
She argued, a mildly offended look on her face, if Broker could even call it that. The acolyte was beginning to find the false god a bit childish now.
"The dumpster is a dumpster, it's going to smell bad. The dumpster also did not slap me!"
The criminal responded, her hands flying up as she spoke. Her voice raised a bit, resulting in the deity cackling once more. It was annoying by this point.
"Is all you do laugh? Do you have nothing in your skull except a marble?!"
Broker questioned, her irritation growing once more. She watched as the deity clutched her stomach, continuing to laugh despite her words. A groan escaped the acolyte before she pinched the bridge of her nose, leaning back against the concrete wall behind her. Maybe it had been a little bit awkward earlier, the false god technically had her pinned to it. It felt like the laughter went on for ages before it finally came to a stop, with the deity right back in Broker's personal space. Darkheart's grin was like a slice of lime, and it bothered her a little. It felt like she was being pinned to the wall again. She didn't hate it, but she didn't enjoy it. The deity immediately leaned right back into her face, as she poked the acolyte's cheek.
"Do we bother you this much, little acolyte?"
She asked, her finger moving from Broker's cheek to her bottom lip. The criminal deadpanned, then she nipped the finger at her mouth. Darkheart seemed more delighted by the bite than anything, as she didn't immediately pull away.
"We can't believe this is how far your hatred for us goes... to bite us! How beast-like!"
She cooed, as the acolyte immediately let go of Darkheart's finger. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tilted her head.
"Why are you still around? Clearly you only want to annoy me, despite the multiple times I've made it clear I'm disinterested in you, or further conversation."
Broker questioned, a sense of genuine curiosity in her tone. Darkheart hummed in response, as she dragged a finger along the stitches on Broker's neck. The acolyte grasped the deity's wrist, an awkward giggle escaping her as she redirected Darkheart's hand to her horns.
"Maybe...don't touch those for right now."
She warned, eye darting around for a moment before going back to the deity's face. She was starting to believe that maybe Darkheart was right. Instead of shoving her off, like any normal follower of the True Eye would've done, she had just redirected the hands of a person who could easily tear out her organs and eat them to the most fragile place of an inphernal's body. Then again though, her horns weren't really hers, so did it matter that much? If anything, she could just get another head and have Medkit stitch it on. At the same time, she really would enjoy not having a repeat of Banhammer's attempted execution of her. Darkheart's hands brushed against Broker's horns for a few moments before they lowered to grab the criminal's face. The silence between the two was more awkward than Broker enjoyed, as she could feel the scrutinization of Darkheart's gaze, despite the deity's clear lack of eyes.
"Hm.. Despite the fact your head isn't yours, you are rather... pleasing to look at."
The deity stated. Broker's eyes widened a little before she scoffed. She was going to spit out an insult, but the compliment seemed to be rare coming from such a chaotic entity like Darkheart. She swallowed her pride, disappointingly.
"Thank you. You aren't... the worst thing I've seen."
She replied, awkwardly. It wasn't entirely a compliment, but it definitely didn't count as an insult. It bruised Broker's ego to even call a false god "not the worst thing" she's seen. But it wasn't like she was lying, either. If she ignored the fact Darkheart was a false god, maybe she would feel a little more attraction to the deity than what she currently felt. Why was she even attracted to this mistake of the universe? She literally slapped her just a few minutes ago! And called out her bluff! It pissed her off more than she could imagine, but she didn't exactly want to pull away from the hands on her face. She stared up at Darkheart, just awaiting for the deity to either laugh, insult her, or do something. The quicker time passed, the quicker Broker could get back to the church and never have to see Darkheart again, hopefully. But it felt like time was taking forever. It was so odd. She winced as Darkheart suddenly got closer, and placed a kiss on her cheek. It felt like all of her blood rushed to her face in an instant, as Broker immediately turned her head back to look at Darkheart again. About to question why she had done that, she was interrupted by a peck to her lips. She didn't know whether to return it or pull away, but it felt nice. Oddly nice. She didn't want to enjoy it, but her mind got the better of her and she returned the dumb little kiss. It bothered her, just slightly, but the feeling was winning out her rational thoughts. When the two separated, it wasn't as many seconds as Broker hoped for so her thoughts could catch up, as Darkheart immediately kissed her again. Broker, of course, almost on instinct, returned it. She didn't exactly understand why now, but she didn't wanna pull away. Her hand came up to grasp Darkheart's shoulder, squeezing it just slightly. Then she pushed Darkheart away.
"Oh, would you look at the time..! The church calls for me! Buh-bye!"
Broker spoke, quickly shoving past Darkheart to exit the alleyway in a rush, leaving the deity standing there. When the acolyte was a safe distance away, she slowed her run into a walk. Why did she do that? Why did she kiss her back? Why did she enjoy it? It was so, disgustingly wrong. What if Scythe found out? Medkit? The Father! She'd have her head, if anything! She wiped her lips frantically, as she kept her head down. She was so, utterly, completely fucked if anyone found out about the things she had done.