[closed] karma's a bitch

[apathie]

Who ⬤ Nehan and Six
What ⬤ It's time for two dumb clanmates to work on this messed-up relationship of theirs.
When ⬤ Early May.
Where ⬤ In an alleyway somewhere.
Content Warnings ⬤ Blood, violence, most likely traumadumping from both of them. Others TBA.

---

[nehan has been baring his fangs more often since he arrived in jigoku-cho. he doesn't care to, but sometimes he just has to in order to make himself look more intimidating than he looks, when he's so small and many youkai who are scrapping for a fight out in the streets tend to judge a book by its cover. it's annoying, having to pull back his lips over his teeth and exercise muscles that are too lethagic to move, but... oh well.

he snaps at some youkai who he remembers from his first week in jigoku-cho, and they certainly remember him because they're demanding their money back, or a rematch-- or both.]

I won that off of you fair and square-- you shouldn't have challenged me if you didn't want to lose your wallets. [then he sneers and raises his hands, ready to fight again.] And you shouldn't have done it a second time.

[unfortunately, with three large youkai bearing down on him, all with weapons, nehan knows this will not end well for him. still, he cannot go down easily, because he knows there's no way for this to end but badly-- but if he fights, he can give as much as he gets, and perhaps mauling them will actually get it into their thick heads that he's no someone to be trifled with.

in fact, when one of them hits him in the temple, he staggers once before lashing out blindly and manages to rake his fangs over the youkai's knuckles and draws first blood.]

Comments

[wray]

[ the pain is sharp and biting, but it's nothing he hasn't experienced before. he grits his teeth together to keep his mouth shut, remaining steady and immovable until nehan finishes his work. he finds himself breathing heavily if only to remember what it's like to relax.

it happens shortly after a few more painful moments. ]

I... [ he wasn't thinking, of course, but nehan already knew that. ] I didn't want you to get hurt. I don't have a better reason than that.

[ it might not be a satisfying answer either, but it's the truth at the very least. ]

[apathie]

[nehan doesn't believe that. he doesn't believe in altruism, he doesn't believe that sentiment would drive someone to do such a thing. he's spent far too long in the deepest dredges of humanity to even have such innocent, whimsical ideas.]

Is it truly that simple? [he leans into six, glaring.] Even after what I've done, and what I tried?

[wray]

Even after everything.

[ the way six says it almost sounds like it's the most obvious answer in the world. he feels bad he doesn't have anything better to say, but he figures speaking plainly and honestly might count for something. ]

I want you to stay alive, [ long enough for you to kill me, if that's what you want— ] so I got in the way.

[apathie]

Even after you killed me, that day in Stardust?

[because after thinking it over and reviewing his memories over and over again, that's the only conclusion he can come to.]

[wray]

I didn't... I didn't kill you...?

[ this is something that has been on six's mind ever since they got here. is that what happened? but he thought—

he doesn't really know what he's supposed to think. it all made no sense. ]

[apathie]

When I gave you that drug, I turned my back on you. [matter-of-fact, like he's not actually talking about his own mortality.] Clearly, it was a mistake.

You do not remember?

[wray]

[ six can only shake his head, ears going flat. ]

I didn't. The captain and Siete... They came to stop me, so I thought...

[ he thought he died, by their hands. ]

[apathie]

Perhaps you don't remember, because you are the last I saw. [he only knows that particular captain and the head of the eternals by seeing them from afar, when he was still sneaking about stardust town in order to find information and an opening to hurt six.]

I gave you Trancensia after all, and you have a history of reacting badly to it.

[wray]

... I wouldn't have killed you, no matter what. The others would have stopped me before that happens.

[ it's all he has to offer, even if his mind is a mess given the information he has now. ]

I'm sorry.

[ they're all empty words, he knows that, and yet they're all he has. ]

[apathie]

[nehan shakes his head. only six could have killed him, and he will refuse this abject denial of what can only be the truth.]

But you're dead too. My revenge is somewhat complete. [then he balls his hands into fists.]

And here I did not get to do it myself.

[wray]

Is that what you still want?

[ after asking, he looks down at where nehan stitched him up. he knows why the erune did it, because he wanted to be the one to kill six, but given this new development...

he wouldn't stop nehan, if he says yes right now.]

[apathie]

... Yes. [but it rankles his pride that if he takes it now, he wouldn't have earned it. rankles that if he does it later, after working for it, it's still pointless because they're both dead anyway. what difference would it make in the grand scheme of things?]

But what message would it send, here, when your people are not here?

[wray]

It shouldn't matter if they aren't here.

[ in a way, six understands why nehan would only see it as worth the trouble if there were others to suffer the loss. six was the one who took his family away from him, after all, so it was only right for revenge to be paid in kind — for those closest to him to be the ones to shoulder the blow. ]

If it's what you want, then I'll let you have it.

[ he won't fight back. ]

[apathie]

It does matter. [because of course six wouldn't understand.

nehan inhales deeply, and releases it in a long, slow exhale. this is all terrible, and he feels like all his anger is just gone, leaving only a weight that's threatening to bury him in the ground if he is less vigilant for even a moment.]

Without them to torture, you wouldn't get to suffer the way I did. Revenge is meaningless, but I would have gotten something out of it, anyway.

But now that is beyond me.

[wray]

[ it's difficult to say if there's anything he can do to make nehan feel... better? he just looks so tired, and six just finds himself at a loss on how to help. ]

Then... is there anything I can do...? I don't know if I'll be able to make up for what I've done to you, but I'd like to try, if that's alright.

[apathie]

What can you do? [nehan shrugs, before turning away to organize his kit again and put it away.]

Revenge will do nothing in the end, except assuage feelings that... never mattered in the first place. And both of us are dead-- the Karm clan is finally gone.

[wray]

... Even if we're dead, you and I are still here, aren't we? Shouldn't that count for something?

[ it's hard to explain what he means by that, if only because this is nehan he's talking to. he doesn't know if the other erune will even believe anything that comes out of his mouth. ]

If we can start over...

[apathie]

Start over. [nehan's tone is borderline a sneer, for all that he looks tired, sitting down and resting against the pile of linen and cushions that make up his folded futon.] Is there anything to start over with, given how we started?

[then he sighs and scrubs his hands over his face.]

... Fine.

[wray]

[ six is just as uncertain, but even if he's given the chance, he wouldn't take back what he suggested. he does perk up a little when nehan agrees. ]

Then, we'll figure it out... together, right?

[ if nothing else, they'll have the time. ]

[apathie]

[nehan sighs softly, looking up at the ceiling before he moves his head back down and fixes six with a look.]

Fine. But I do not have the energy for you for the rest of today, and you are not spending the night. [then he digs through his supplies again and grabs a pack of paper towels, tossing it at six.]

Keep the area clean for two days.

[wray]

[ quietly, he catches the towels tossed his way. he knows the meaning behind nehan's words — while he can't stay tonight, at least next time is guaranteed. ]

Ah... I'll do that.

[ he rises to his feet slowly, careful not to aggravate the neat stitches nehan left behind on his body. somehow, he feels warm and fuzzy just thinking about how the other erune's hands felt on his kin. ]

... I owe you one, Nehan. I'll come back.

[ he doesn't have much more to say to that before he turns to leave. it's enough. ]