"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"I wouldn't know," Jerica muttered, some of the venom subsiding.
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"I don't like hurting people," Jerica said firmly. "And I hurt the feelings of the people I care about when I can't switch between Jerica and King's Assassin. They can't coexist. They just can't."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"Oh, fuck you!" Jerica snarled, surprisingly hurt by the comment. "You wouldn't be here if I couldn't switch between them and neither would I."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"Well, I'm not asking for advice," Jerica snarled, still hurt. "So get fucked, you fucking bitch."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Evaline closed her eyes for a few seconds, biting back the regret and hypocrisy. This was what she wanted. It would be better for survival if Jerica maintained her animosity towards her. Maybe she'd finally understand she didn't need saving.
"Okay. Message received. We don't need to talk anymore," she said emptily.
Jerica slammed the arrow back in the quiver with far more force than was necessary, then stomped ahead, jaw set and glowering. The bitch could suffer for all she cared. If Eve didn't want to play nice, Jerica was more than willing to win at that game. Because fuck her.
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
As said, Evaline didn't talk to Jerica again for the next hour or two. They walked in tense silence, only really speaking for practical reasons, like to stop to take a break or drink water.
If Jerica was her friend, the silence would bother her. But Evaline found herself not caring. That was exactly where she wanted her to be: a place where she was neither a friend, nor an enemy. Just someone she didn't prefer to be with.
Problem is, they didn't exactly have a choice to not be with each other, and Evaline was finding it more and more tense and awkward as time went on. She had never been in a situation where she pushed someone away and they had to remain by each other.
Evaline couldn't take it anymore. She sighed, Jerica's words of "I don't like hurting people" ringing in her ear for the hundredth time in their tense silence.
"Look, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings," she said casually out of the blue, deciding to just bite the bullet and say it. "They're just words. It doesn't mean anything. It shouldn't mean anything."
Jerica was sinking into a progressively darker mood, sent into a spiral by Eve's words. Just stop being Jerica. As if it was that easy. She did stop being Jerica when she had to act as King's Assassin -- and literally, without exception, she ended up hurting someone every single time. Monstrous.
The only point of being alive at all was her hopes that there was a single redeemable thing about Jerica, since there wasn't about King's Assassin. But, deep down she'd always known there wasn't anything good about either of them. She was an irredeemable monster. And someone she'd just met was able to see that.
Jerica tried to shake away the thought.
It wasn't like she wasn't used to being demonized the instant someone found out who she was. What she was.
And yet.
It hurt.
The fact that Jerica tried to open up and still got attacked like that. The fact that Eve would rather be with a ruthless murderer than with Jerica. It hit a raw spot.
She hated the silence. But had no motivation to break it.
That is until Eve started rambling out her half-hearted non-apology.
"Words have meanings," Jerica replied gruffly. "That's their point. To communicate... and I heard your meaning loud and clear."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Evaline took her time to fork her next words, although she found her heart not being in it. That was fine. It had always been about gathering information, anyways.
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