Yin stumbled out of the bar with Sasha, the two laughing happily. This was the second bar they had visited, having spent the better half of the afternoon drinking and shopping. They were only tipsy; they weren't completely drunk. They had just enough to lift their spirits.
"You know, you really ain't that bad," Sasha said. "You're actually a decent guy."
"Thanks," Yin replied. "I wish I was nicer sooner. You're a lot of fun to be around."
"Hey, thanks man!" Sasha said cheerfully. "Whaddya say we go grab a bite? I saw this noodle stand a little while ago."
"Yeah, that sounds good."
Yin meant his words. Sasha was a great person to hang out with. Through their chat, he learned she liked exercise. He should have figured, given that her abs were built like a brick wall and her arms were as thick as his head. Sasha was built from solid muscle. He followed the tomboy down the streets, his curiosity beginning to rise. "Hey, you said you're from Aldia, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I was just wondering what it's like. I've never been."
"Huh... Well..." Sasha scratched her chin. "It's a lot different from Faralda or here, that's for sure. It snows a lot, and I don't think I've ever seen it melt."
"Not once?"
"Nope. First time I felt warm, now that I think about it."
"What made you want to leave?" Yin asked. "Surely you knew you'd be hated because you're an elf."
"Yeah..." Sasha's voice went quieter. "... Wouldn't have left. But there's something I need to do..."
They sat down at the noodle stand, an ogre running back and forth between customers. The poor man looked exhausted, but he still served out orders with a smile. He was happy to help others, at the cost of having sore legs. He slammed into the counter, gasping for breath.
"What... What... Oh, hell... What would you like?" He wheezed.
"Just a regular bowl of noodles. Two," Sasha said. Yin looked up at her. "Huh?"
"I'll pay for both. Consider it a thanks," the elf grinned. The ogre dashed around, throwing the noodles into a pit of boiling water, begging for them to be cooked faster. The moment they were done, the bowls were set in front of the adventurers, the ogre quickly running to his next customer. Poor guy.
Yin took a bite, talking after he swallowed. The noodles were delicious. "You said you had something you needed to do..."
Sasha poked at her food, her grin falling. "... It's really personal."
"C'mon, it'd be nice to get it off your chest, wouldn't it?"
Sasha gave a small grin, biting into her food. "... Alright. The reason I became an adventurer... It's because I'm looking for someone special."
"Oh, a boyfriend?"
Sasha winced. "Ew, no. It's my older brother, Nikita."
Yin felt dumb for jumping to conclusions. "You have a brother?"
Sasha nodded. "Yeah. Redhead, like me. Haven't seen him for years..."
"Years?"
"Yeah. Not since I escaped slavery in the Royal Capital."
"S... Slavery?" Yin echoed with a stammer. Guilt struck him. He had called Sasha a slave many times, but he didn't think she had been one. Sasha nodded.
"Yup. I was a slave. Nikita and I were taken away together, but we worked in different cities. We saw each other every now and again, but we weren't allowed to talk to each other. No one was," she admitted quietly. Her chopsticks rested against her bowl. She didn't like talking about it. "... I ran away after a few years. Went back home, hoping he had the same idea. Shouldn't have been surprised, now that I think about it, but... The Church got there first, and left a week before I got home."
"The Church...?"
Sasha gripped her arm, nodding her head. "Y... Yeah... My parents were..."
She didn't need to finish her sentence. Yin already knew what happened; they were murdered. Before he had come to this city, he might've laughed at her. But after seeing the nonhumans and their daily lives, after seeing the similarities between himself and them, he couldn't bring himself to see them as any less than a human. They had thoughts and feelings. That included Sasha. "I'm... I'm so sorry..."
The elf just shook her head. "... Don't worry about it. You didn't know."
Yin was happy she was so forgiving, but he still hated that he ever said it. He swore under his breath he'd make it up to her. Meanwhile, Sasha continued speaking.
"I didn't see Nikita when I got home. I promised I'd find him after that. Been adventuring ever since - I heard he escaped too."
Yin smiled. "That's a relief... Any ideas where he went?"
"Nope. All I know is his master was some guy named Rojo."
Yin raised a brow. "Rojo? Cardinal Rojo?"
Sasha nodded. "You know him?"
"Yeah... He runs the cathedral in Faralda. It's a long walk though, so I just go to the parish, since it's right down the road..."
Sasha sighed. "... Not like it matters anyway... Nikita isn't in Faralda. I would've definitely seen him by now."
Yin was about to reply, but he stopped. Vao was walking towards them. But different from usual, he wasn't smirking. He was scowling.
"Oh, hey Vao. What's up?" Sasha asked.
"Verde woke up," the thief growled. "Get your shit. We're going home."
"Already?" Sasha asked. "We haven't even met the kin-"
"And we aren't going to," Ozpin said stoically. The knight was approaching from the other hand of the street, Salem following behind, holding Verde's hand as she guided the witch. The short woman had bandages wrapped around her head, a dazed look in her dark green eyes. Yin felt a pang of guilt. "We have decided it is not in our best interest right now. We're leaving toda-"
He was interrupted when Vao coughed, his eyes filled with confusion. The thief held up two fingers, reaching them into his mouth. His party watched in horror when he pulled out the blue feather.
"Oh. I knew I swallowed one-"
"V-V-Vao! Where did that come from!?" Salem screamed.
"It's blue, so it's gotta be Poppy's," he answered bluntly. "Guess I'll keep it... Can't really get harpy feathers in Faralda... Now that I think about it, wouldn't that be like giving someone pubes?"
Sasha and Yin looked back at their unfinished bowls of noodles, pushing them away. They lost their appetite. To their dismay, Vao just kept going on.
"So the thing is," he said. "Humans are alright, unless it's Melania and Miltia. They get scary. With goblins, lots of alcohol, and just generally wild. Dwarves will throw you around, which kind of scared me at first, but I was piss drunk, so I was kind of into it. Lamias tend to squeeze a lot, but it's like being hugged, which is something my mum doesn't do a lot of. Werewolves sometimes transform, and when my friend Emerald did it I screamed in terror. Slimes are alright, but it's hard to know where anything is unless they take a human shape. Vampires try to do a lot of biting, so I was with only one. Fairies are really tiny, so I used my little finger. Charybdis was really big, but she loved to cuddle-"
"You slept with Charybdis!?" Yin shrieked.
"I was not going to miss that chance," Vao snapped. "Anyways, harpies are really light. Like, really light. But Poppy likes hugging, she was generally a very sweet girl, and her two-in-one was amazing. Conclusion; bird girls are superior."
Ozpin moved his hand over his stomach. "I... I think I'm actually going to be sick," he murmured.
"T... Two-in-one...?" Salem started.
"Princess, no!" Yin wailed. But Vao already began.
"Yeah, I think she called it a kloh-ay-kah or something. She lays eggs from there too. It's weird."
Salem was very much upset she ever asked that question, or that she ever thought it was a good idea in the first place. "It's... Cloaca, Vao," Ozpin corrected with a hue of green on his cheeks. "You... You are both impressive and disgusting."
"Says the guy who wanted to shag a fish."
All eyes were on Ozpin. The knight pointed at Vao angrily. "You said you did worse!"
All eyes on Vao. The thief held up his hands. "Worst I did was the zombie."
"Vao, WHY!?" Yin bawled.
"She gave me a sandwich," Vao answered as if that were a completely normal thing to do for a fucking sandwich.
"Skeletons and zombies!" Yin roared. "That's necrophilia!"
"They were moving, so they were technically alive in a way. Necrophilia is when they're dead," Vao argued. He scratched at the side of his head thoughtfully. "... Well, they're undead... Huh. That's actually a good question..."
Sasha jumped from her chair, sprinting into the alley to find a bucket. Yin was trying to delete Vao's words from his brain. Salem was crying, and Ozpin was arguing.
"So it's wrong to like a siren, but you're sleeping with a big fish!?"
"Oh, you met Charybdis?"
"We saw her over the buildings when she jumped from the ocean! How did you even manage something like that!?"
"Ozpin, shut up!" Salem shrieked.
"Well, I fell off the boat," Vao started. "I was drinking with Cinder's crew and climbed one of the masts. Fell into the water, and Charybdis found me. Turns out she can't speak human and never learned how, so she was really happy when I understood her. We got to talking, and one thing led to another..."
"That doesn't even make sense!" Ozpin cried. "She's huge!"
"Yeah, kind of became obvious when she almost ate me. Spat me out in a jet of water, most fun I've ever had in my life, mate," Vao replied. "Still, harpies... Bird girls are the greatest thing to ever bless Twist."
Verde trembled where she stood. "I-I... I lost... I lost to everyone," she croaked. "This can't be happening... I lost to a s-skeleton..."
"I'm surprised you're not realizing he slept with a zombie," Salem muttered. But to her great anguish, Vao heard the princess.
"Oh will you piss off about the zombie? It's not like she was rotten or anything. She drank some of my blood, and then I couldn't tell the difference. It was kind of cold, though. Like ice."
Sasha, who had just returned from the alley, caught Vao's description. She ran back in, Ozpin joining her. The ogre noodle store owner had stopped running, and his customers had stopped eating. Verde's legs wobbled, the poor witch almost falling over. "I-I... I'm g-going f-for a w-walk..."
Salem frowned at Vao, wiping the tears from her eyes. "... You upset me..."
Vao looked confused. "Wot did I do?"
Yin glared at him. "You know what you did."
"Oh, fuck off, you decrepit dish sponge! I didn't do anything!" Vao snapped back.
"You man whore!"
Salem groaned, covering her ears. This argument didn't seem like it was going to stop anytime soon.
It didn't stop. The entire way Yin and Vao argued. Even in the blacksmith's store, where their weapons had been repaired and Salem bought a new rapier, they argued relentlessly to the edge of the city's safe zone, where the harpies waited. Poppy was among them.
"Vao! Hi hi~!"
Vao looked up from strangling the life out of Yin, the cleric's face an unhealthy shade of blue. "Oh, Poppy! I thought you were on guard duty."
"No, I said mail duty! I need to deliver a letter to Pock and her dad saying you visited!"
"Vao, you're going to kill Yin!" Salem screamed in horror.
"Oh. Woops."
Vao finally released his hold on Yin's throat, the blonde adventurer falling unconscious. The thief turned back to the harpy as Salem and Sasha tried to wake him up. "It was great meeting everyone," he said happily.
"Yeah! It was so much fun! All the harpies have been smiling since you went around meeting them!"
Ozpin glared at Vao, his hands firmly on his hips. The thief just flashed him his signature shit-eating grin. "Nice?"
"... Fine."
"Ozpin, don't you dare encourage him!" Salem growled. Verde was trembling, Sasha trying to console the witch.
"B-birds... S-skeletons... F-fish... I l-lost to e-everyone..."
"I'm so... S-so sorry..."
"Sasha, why are you laughing!?"
The elf just held her sides, giggling like an idiot while one of the harpies carried Glynda through the air. As it turns out, wheelchairs didn't do very well in the sand. The siren looked down at Yin's unconscious body, shrugging her shoulders.
"Well, I suppose he won't be needing medicine," she joked. She extended her hand, six pink pills in her palm. "Everyone take one."
The adventurers, with the exclusion of the healer, listened. Verde held up her pill curiously. "Wouldn't it take time for them to work?"
Glynda shook her head. "Nope! They're infused with a siren's magic. It works similar to my voice. You'll be asleep in no time-"
"Ooh, drugs!" Vao cheered. Without a shred of hesitation, he threw the pill into his mouth, dropping like a fly the moment he swallowed it. Glynda pointed at him.
"Like that."
"And they're safe?" Salem asked. Glynda frowned.
"I am a doctor. I'm not allowed to poison my patients. Not that I would want to, that is."
Sasha sighed. "Well, here goes nothing."
Thud.
The sand around her jumped into the air when her heavy weight struck the ground. Sasha weighed almost three hundred pounds. None of it was fat. Ozpin was next, mixing it with his hot chocolate. The last was Salem. With a groan, the princess swallowed the pill whole. She didn't even have time to feel the drowsiness; she just collapsed, her eyes seemingly welded shut. Glynda sighed.
"I do hope they'll be back," she whispered. "It was exciting to have humans in our village for the first time."
"Us too!" The harpies cheered. Glynda grinned, her smile falling to curiosity when she noticed Poppy. Or more likely the thing strapped to her back.
"... Poppy, why did you bring an egg?"
The blue feathered bird girl giggled. "I'm giving it to someone special!"
Glynda ignored it. It wasn't any of her business. She was about to tell the harpies to take the humans away before a pair of footsteps caught her attention. In an instant the harpies snapped to attention, their right wings coming to their chests in a form of salute. Glynda's eyes widened, her body going rigid as her right hand snapped to her chest. "K-King Hazel!"
He was the king of the hidden city. The King with No Castle. The one who had received the letter of the peaceful adventurers, and invited them. A troll, he scratched his beard as he stared at them. "... I was hoping to meet them before they took the medicine," he murmured.
"I'm sorry, King. I hadn't the slightest clue that you were visiti-"
"Hush, Glynda. It is alright," Hazel said gently. "It's my fault. I wanted to surprise them, and I didn't tell anyone. I'm just happy that my sister's dream just may be possible..."
The harpies looked at the ground, sorrow filling their gazes. Hazel's sister, who had ruled at his side, died after approaching a human city close to one hundred years ago. Her final wish was for peace to be formed amongst the humans and nonhumans, something that kept Hazel going. He'd never disrespect her final wish.
He didn't even live in a castle; he lived in a regular house, so he could live like his people did. With a sigh, he waved his hand. "You can take them away. Bring them to the mountains, where they can return home," he ordered in the kindest way possible.
"Yes, Milord!" The harpies cried in unison. Poppy made sure to pick up Vao, their wings beating together as they took to the sky. As they soared over the Sea of Sands, protected from the searing heat by magic, one of the harpies decided to announce the elephant in the room.
"Hey, Poppy!"
"Yeah~?"
"What's so special about that egg? You don't usually carry them around because we all lay them, but you seem really proud of it!"
Poppy just giggled.
...
It took two days for them to reach the mountains. When Yin woke up, he could see Ozpin and Salem thanking the harpies.
"It was very nice," Salem was saying. "I really hope we can come back, if you'll allow it."
"Of course~!" One with red feathers chirped. "Just stop by the Goblin City and send a letter! We can pick you up during our deliveries!"
The cleric climbed to his feet with a groan, stepping up to Vao. "You... You strangled me," he growled. Vao folded his arms.
"Want me to do it again, cunt?" He hissed. He seemed angrier than usual, Yin realized. But he knew that Vao didn't know he was the one who hit Verde. If he did, the thief would've already beaten the cleric senseless. Vao opened his mouth to speak again, but Poppy interrupted.
"Vao~! Here~!"
Because she didn't have hands, she had to cradle the egg in her wings when she passed it to the thief. It was half his size. "An egg?"
"Uh-huh! It's yours! Keep it safe, okay?"
Yin raised an eyebrow, giving it a poke. "... Why an egg?"
The other harpies gasped, giggling amongst themselves. It was only then that the cleric noticed the redness of Poppy's cheeks. Vao didn't seem to get it. He held it up with one hand, scratching his chin. "... Huh. Alright. It won't go bad, right?"
"Nope! Just keep it nice and warm!"
"Okay."
The harpies took flight again, their wings beating into the air. The harpies that were returning to the city of the nonhumans waved, their smiles matching their joy. They were a happy, cheerful bunch. Poppy, however, was going over the mountains and to the Goblin City in the west. She had letters to deliver.
"Bye bye~!" She shouted from the skies. "Please come visit us again!"
"We will!" Yin shouted up at her. Everyone except Sasha looked at him in shocked silence. The cleric snickered, glancing down at them. "... Heh. What do you know? I had fun after all. Maybe... We'll visit Pock, too."
Sasha smirked at Ozpin. "You owe me ten silver. Pay up."
"Oh, for the love of... Here, take it."
Salem stared at Yin silently. For the first time in a long while, she could see it. The light of the old Yin in his blue eyes. In the end, their adventure had helped him. For that much, she was happy. But when she looked at Verde, she could see the distrust the witch held for him. She couldn't blame Verde. What Yin did was cruel, and abusive. A part of her couldn't forgive him for that - it was something he'd have to make up for in the years to come. But for now, she smiled softly. And when she glanced at Ozpin, he smiled back.
Together, they began to walk up the trail. And for the first time, Yin treated them as equals.
They were halfway to the desert when Sasha pointed at the egg Vao held in his hands. "Soo... Any idea why Poppy gave that to you? Do harpies really lay eggs?"
"No clue, and yes. All the time. The first time Poppy laid an egg, she threw it in a pan, cooked it, and we ate it."
"That sounds fucking horrifying."
Vao nodded. "It was. I started crying because I thought she was eating her kids, but it turns out it wasn't fur... Fer... Um..."
"Fertile," Salem corrected.
"Yeah, that word. They lay eggs everyday, kind of like those birds you see on farms that go bock bock."
"That's a chicken you jackass," Ozpin muttered.
"How was I supposed to know that?"
"That's kindergarten level!"
"Vao skipped kindergarten," Yin muttered. "Really wished he didn't, since he doesn't know his farm animals."
"You... You skipped kindergarten?" Sasha said in disbelief.
"I never went to school," Verde added. "I wasn't allowed to."
"That doesn't excuse him!"
Vao beamed. "Uncle Qrow told me that school was for losers, so we'd throw rocks at it! Ten points for a broken window!"
"No one in your household is a good influence," Yin muttered. "Not a single one..."
"Shut up, nerd."
"At least I studied. My mom always told me knowledge was power."
"A swift kick to the balls takes them down all the same. That's wot Yang always told me," Vao argued. "Want a demonstration?"
"N-no thanks..."
Ozpin leaned close to the egg. "I must ask though, why would she give you an egg? She didn't seem like she wanted you to eat it."
Vao shrugged. "Maybe something to remember her. I don't know."
"Well, whatever. I suppose you should be careful with it, then."
Once they reached Ragna, it was only a matter of moments before they caught a carriage, finally relaxing inside. As the wooden buggy rocked back and forth, the tarp protecting them from the sun, Salem took notice of Sasha's new closeness to Yin. The giant elf was cracking jokes with the cleric. It brought a smile to her face.
And as the day turned to night, she watched Yin mingling with his party, discussing a possible visit to the goblins. He really had changed.
But the only one who stayed far away, from the safety of Vao's side was Verde.
...
Ruby writhed on the ground, spit bubbling from her lips as the Blood coused through her body. Jack stood over her in the darkness of his basement, his smile growing in delight from her reaction.
"Non, non, madame," he cooed gently. "You're fighting it! Embrace it. Fighting... Leads to something from before..."
Ruby shivered, the pain burning at her insides. Jack pressed his face against the floor to be eye level with her. That smile that showed every tooth in his mouth never faltered.
"If you fight it, you'll become just like the man with one eye," he whispered. "The man I see when I close my eyes... The First of the Blessed..."
Ruby wanted to scream. To say he would never do the things Jack said he did. But the Ripper would always agree, saying 'it was in another time'. She could feel his fingers caress her cheek as he stood back up, the syringe in his hand. She wailed when she felt the needle pierce her shoulder, the tar-like substance flowing into her body.
"Embrace it," Jack repeated softly. "Or you'll end up just like Vao..."
"V... V-Vao..." Ruby coughed, feeling as though she swallowed a cactus. It hurt to breathe. "V-Vao... Isn't a c... C-cannibal...!"
"Cannibalism comes naturally, madame," Jack replied. "When you take the Blood into your body, your hunger grows... I'm not talking about Vao's cannibalism... I'm talking about what made him so dangerous..."
Ruby watched in choked silence as Jack stalked back to his table, moving his tools around. She couldn't see what he was making from where she lie on the ground. But she doubted it was good for her.
"Insanity," Jack repeated gently. "Belle, belle... Not even I'm that crazy. To completely disregard one's own life for the thrill of the hunt, driven purely on the hunger itself. With no desire other than to kill, to eat, and to torture... Even I would blush, if I had been born into the right time... Ahh, oh la la... If only..."
He was sick. He was a madman. He was Iris's biggest mistake. The soft clink of his scissors resting against the table haunted her ears, echoed in her head. "... But I do suppose it was an accident... Vao didn't know he was receiving the Blessing if the Dark God... He never intended to fight it," Jack murmured. "Once you know about it, your mind slowly begins to accept the Blessing regardless of whether you want to or not... Like Verde had begun, in the time just before ours. That's why she experienced the hunger so quickly... Well, that and Vao took so much more... not even I have that much, so I couldn't repeat it... Belle... Oh, la la... I wish I could have seen even a glimpse of Verde's science experiments..."
She had listened to Jack ramble about different times for hours. Every time he took her, he'd ramble about his twisted fantasies of meeting the 'Blessed', as he called them. People who, like Ruby, had been given the Blood. But it never made sense; the people who had been Blessed were names she recognized. And the people Jack described were far different from how she knew them. And to her complete confusion, Jack had told her many times that they no longer experienced the Blood - that it had vanished when time began anew. She didn't understand a word of it.
Jack turned back around, staring down at her. He had something behind his back. "Madame, you're quite young," he remarked in that calm, eerie voice he always spoke with. "I find no interest in them, but... Do you like dolls?"
Ruby wheezed, trying to tell him to stay away. This madman scared her more than anything. Jack's feet made no sound against the stone floor as he stepped forward, crouching in front of her. And finally removing his hands from his back, he held out something in his hand.
"A gift, madame. To celebrate becoming one of the Blessed."
The Blood flowed through her veins, infecting her Soul, twisting her Reality as she stared at it. A small doll that Jack had made. The stitching wasn't very good, and it wasn't very pretty. But with the Blood running through her frail body, she saw it as the most beautiful thing she ever laid eyes on. With a shaky hand, she reached out and took Jack's gift, staring at the button eyes with an odd choking noise.
Jack's grin grew. "... Madame, did I ever tell you about my first taste?"
Her eyes, bloodshot and wide with horror and disgust, stared up at him. Jack stared down at her, his eyes flickering with excitement. "It was my dear mère... My dear mother, Marie Gulden..."
Ruby felt sick. Jack had eaten his own mother. But there was more, and she could see it in his eyes.
"I always smile, mon ami. Even when I was born, I was born smiling. I can't stop. I can't stop because when I was still in the womb, I met a God. My God. The Dark God..." Jack's hands reached forward, gripping the sides of Ruby's face and lifting her off the ground. The doll fell from her hands as she struggled, fighting to kick her legs out. But they wouldn't move.
"My God gave me the Blessing... And when I was born, I couldn't stop smiling. I'll never forget seeing my God for the first time. So... Belle... Beautiful..."
Ruby tried to scream. But there was no sound. She stared into Jack's wide, toothy grin. It was being burned into her memory, that haunting smile forever engraving itself in her deepest nightmares. Jack continued.
"When I was four, I killed my pet dog," Jack cooed. "His name was Sammy... I loved him so. He was such a gentle dog. He was very frightened of me, however. When he would see my smile, he would hide. When I stroked his fur, he would shiver and whine. It made me very sad. Sad, but I still couldn't stop smiling. One night, when mère and père slept in their room, I found Sammy outside. He tried to run, but his leash could only allow him to go so far. I wanted to hug him. I felt his ribs breaking underneath my arms. I felt his heart pressed against his ribcage. I heard him howl. I buried him in the backyard. Left him for the worms. And I loved it. I killed many animals after, squeezed until their eyes would pop out and hang from their heads... But I'll never forget Sammy, my very best friend."
Ruby felt sick. She wanted to cry at that horrible story. But Jack wasn't done.
"Next was mère... Mother always called me her Petit Ange - her Little Angel. I was ten when père... Father, left for work. All alone with my dear mother," he said quietly. "... I began to grow curious. Animals were fun to play with, but I learned new things in school. I wanted to try them. With the largest knife in the kitchen, I stabbed my mother in the back. Her screams... I've never heard anything more beautiful. Stab, stab, stab, goes the Ripper's blade. Stab, stab, stab, until Mother couldn't get away. Stab... Stab... Stab..."
Jack's eyes began to blaze, a raspy, wheezing fit of laughter escaping the depths of his throat. His grip loosened around Ruby, letting the adventurer fall to the ground. He was clutching at her ears.
"Belle... B-belle... I could never forget! So beautiful, belle! With Mother no longer getting away, I could do the things I learned in school!"
The pieces clicked in Ruby's head. Jack didn't just murder and eat his mother. She was beginning to realize why Iris kept around a man he didn't trust.
Because Jack was the worst one.
"'Arrête, Petit Ange! Maman t'aime!' She kept saying those words to me! But I couldn't! I couldn't feel excited, mon ami! Not until she stopped with those cries! And even then, I felt nothing! Nothing excites me more than killing! Stab, stab, stab, goes the Ripper's blade! Stab, stab, stab, until Mother ceases to breathe!" A giggle escaped his throat, staring blindly ahead. He was lost in his own disturbing mind. "After... I cooked her. On the stove she used to cook dinner, I baked her. I ate her. And it was so beautiful! A taste I could not forget! And Father interrupted! With his sword, he tried to do the one thing he promised Jack that he'd never do! Take my head off my shoulders!"
Ruby found only the strength to back away, her back pressed against the wall. The doll was clutched tightly in her hand, the Blood-addled adventurer clutching it to her chest. Her attachment to the doll growing, beginning to develop into an unhealthy obsession.
"Father was next... Stab, stab, stab, goes the Ripper's blade... Until Father fed his only child, as should be the duty of all fathers," Jack finished in that gentle voice. Throughout his entire outburst, he used that calm voice. Throughout the story of how he murdered his dog, to when he assaulted and murdered his own mother, he never lost his level head. He dropped to all fours, crawling closer to her. She could finally realize what that stench was on his breath.
Corpses.
"Isn't it beautiful, Ruby?" Jack breathed. "To share your passions with others?"
"B... B-beauti... Tiful..." Ruby echoed. I'm her horror, the moment she had let her guard down, the Blood had begun to take hold, its grip on her Soul permanent. Just as it had been before. Just as it held Vao, Verde, and Salem, it held Ruby. "S... So beautif-ful..."
Jack's hand reached up, gently stroking her pale cheek again. "... I have a special occasion for us," he cooed. "Do you want to make a doll?"
Her fingers curled around the doll Jack had made for her. And with a shaky breath, the corners of her mouth began to twitch. "D... Doll," Ruby breathed. "I... I want to make... A beautiful doll..."
Jack's fingers pressed into her cheek, leaving indents. His grin grew, his eyes sparking with a hint of delight. "Then Jack will teach you. How to make the prettiest little dolly," he whispered. When he stood, he took Ruby's hand into his own murderous palm, guiding her to the table he had used to build the doll she still clutched in her hand. Spread across the steel surface was everything the needed; string, leather, scissors, scalpels, needles, buttons, stuffing. Jack's twisted, disturbing grin could only grow as he guided Ruby's hands to work.
And as she worked, learning from Jack, she didn't notice the closet that sat in the corner, locked tight by the serial killer. The closet that leaked a scarlet fluid.
Inside was the skinned and shaved corpse of a woman.
...
Night had fallen hours ago. The carriage had stopped, the driver asleep inside. The adventurers had set up camp in the fields that expanded between the mountains and the distant Royal Capital, and past the golden city, Faralda. The only one awake, was Yin.
The cleric was eating an apple, sitting on his bedroll and staring at the stars. Reflecting on the secret city. Reflecting on the new opinions he had formed. Blissfully unaware of a second who had stayed awake, watching him in silence. Yin took another bite of his apple, chewing slowly.
"Oi."
He jumped when he heard his brother's voice, turning to face the thief. "Oh... Didn't hear you coming," he sighed. "Don't do that. I almost choked."
Vao was silent. It was uncharacteristic of him to not reply. And when Yin looked up at him, he could see the fury the thief held. "Vao, is something wrong?"
"Dunno," the femboy growled. "You tell me."
It had dawned on him. Vao was suspicious. He knew that the thief didn't know he attacked Verde - he'd already be beating the cleric to a pulp if he did. But there was no mistaking that glare. Vao was onto him. Yin looked back at the stars. He needed to choose his words carefully. Vao wasn't very bright, but he wasn't to be underestimated. Even though a part of Yin wanted to tell Vao the truth, even though that same part of him knew the beating was deserved, he couldn't bring himself to face the consequences. He shrugged his shoulders.
"... Did you run out of alcohol again?" He asked. Vao's sharp glare only hardened.
"Piss off. That's not something I'd forget," he hissed. He pointed at the cleric, jabbing him in the chest with his finger. "I'll cut straight to the point, mate. Was it you who attacked Verde?"
Yin's heart thundered so loud that he was nearly convinced Vao could hear it. "I'd... Never do that," he lied as naturally as he breathed. Straight through his teeth, he looked Vao in the eyes and lied.
"I don't believe that hogwash for one bloody second," Vao grumbled out loud. "I can't name anyone else who would do something like that. You're the only one who has ever had a problem with her, because of some rubbish Church!"
Yin felt a part of him snap. Even though he was beginning to change, he was still a member of the Church deep down. He grew up in the organization. Something Vao didn't grow up with. The cleric stood to his feet, veins starting to snake their way across his forehead.
"Don't you dare insult the Church like that."
But Vao only scowled. "And why not!? You saw it for yourself out in the Sea of Sand! The Church is nothing but a bunch of slave driving twats!"
"So a few of them are corrupt! That's not all of them, you imbecile!" Yin almost shouted. Vao was turning red.
"Don't call me an idiot, you jumped-up little wanker!" He fired back. "You're the blonde! You're the stupid one!"
"Please, like you can talk," Yin groaned. He knew it would be a low blow, but at the same time he stopped caring when Vao dragged the Church into the equation. "How many months has it been, Vao!? How many months, and you STILL can't see that Verde likes you! Going around sleeping with everything that moves! She's watched you wander off with Pock, with Poppy, and half a city! And you never once figured it out!"
He expected Vao to start screaming at him. That would have been the normal reaction. But to Yin's silent shock, Vao just stared at him.
"... I know."
The cleric was at a loss for words. "W... What?"
"You really think that low of me?" Vao growled. "I'm stupid. I'm not blind. I have enough experience with women to know how she feels. And I feel the same way."
"Then... Why haven't yo-"
"Because I'm not a good person."
Vao's answer silenced Yin before he could finish his sentence. The cleric stared at the thief as he paced back and forth, listing off his thoughts.
"Arson, assault, selling weed, smoking weed, those mushrooms I had, robbery, petty theft, assault, ties to every thief in Faralda. Those are just the things I've done off the top of my head, mate. I'm a terrible person," he continued. "You really think I never noticed? I did. And I know I'm not the right guy for Verde. I don't deserve her even as my best friend."
"V-Vao..." Yin felt awful. He could see something else in Vao's eyes. Something he had never seen in Vao before. With his confident exterior slipping, he was beginning to see how much Vao despised himself. The thief held up a finger, cutting Yin off.
"I'm not done talking. You shut your gob and wait your turn," he hissed. "Do you know why I sleep around, Yin? It's your turn to speak."
Yin wasn't certain of the answer anymore. "B... Because... You enjoy it?"
"That's wot I always say, innit?" Vao snarled. "Part of it. But I've been doing it a lot more because I want Verde to find someone else. She deserves a lot better than me."
Yin was stuck. He couldn't move his legs. He never realized Vao felt like that. He didn't think he had the brain capacity to think like that. He had always known him as the chaotic, comical thief who loved who he was. But now he was beginning to realize just how human Vao was. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. He hated himself, his mental illness. That mental illness being the kleptomania that had pushed him into choosing the thief class when he first became an adventurer. "Vao... Are you okay...?"
The femboy wiped at his eyes with his sleeves, gritting his teeth together. "Do I look okay? No, Yin. I'm not okay. Every day, I wake up knowing I don't help anything!"
"That's not-"
"Used to be the strongest," Vao interrupted. "Sasha took my place. Used to talk to you. Salem took my place. I can't even hold a map right half the time, so I'm not even good at scouting like I'm supposed to. I'm not smart; that was always you. I almost got us killed in a desert, because I was too obsessed with vodka to even think about it! You heard wot Glynda said! That if they hadn't found us when they did, we'd all have FUCKING died!"
"You made a mistake, Vao! Everybody makes-"
"It was a mistake that almost killed the people I care about!" Vao screamed. "That's why I never react to how Verde feels! Because I'm afraid I'm not going to be worth it! No, I ain't worth it! The only thing I'm good at is drinking, stealing, and fighting! And so help me, if you put your fucking hands on her, I'll break every bone in your fucking body!"
Yin took a step back. Vao needed time to himself. But the thief stormed close, seizing Yin's collar in his fist.
"Let me see you do it, Yin. Fuck around, and you'll find out."
With a shove that sent the healer to the ground, he stomped past him, returning to the camp. The bushes rustled, catching Yin's attention. Verde jumped from her hiding spot, running after Vao. She had heard their conversation. The cleric stared after them in silence. He didn't intervene. But his curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to make sure Vao was okay. Slowly, he stood up.
And followed.
...
"Vao!" Verde shouted after him. The thief jumped out of his skin and whipped around, the camp just coming into view over the crest of the hill.
"V-Verde? Weren't you at the camp?"
The witch shook her head, slowing to a stop. "N-no... I..." She had to pause to catch her breath. "I followed you... I saw you get out of your bedroll, and-"
"You followed me?"
Verde stopped. Vao sounded angry. Then again, she couldn't blame him. He likely didn't want anybody knowing what he told Yin. "I... I did... I heard everything, Vao. And that's why-"
"Then you can just stop."
The coldness in his voice was unmistakeable. Vao sighed, turning around to face her. With a gulp from his flask, he shoved the tin back into his pocket, folding his arms. "You already know, mate. I'm not a good guy."
Verde took a slow step forward, and stopped. "I... I don't care, Vao. I know you aren't. But that's not why I li-"
"So why do you like me?" Vao interrupted. "I gots no redeeming qualities."
"That's not true," Verde pointed out. "You may not think it, Vao, but... You're a great person..."
A low chuckle from Vao. He thought she was joking. The witch could feel herself freezing up again. But this time, she fought back. She finally figured out Vao felt the same way towards her. If there was any time, it was now.
"... A bad person wouldn't have taken me from the swamp..."
Vao raised an eyebrow. Verde bit down on her tongue, looking up at him. "... When we met... You talked to me. You even stayed for lunch. You offered to help me become an adventurer so I could see the world. A bad person wouldn't have done that. You aren't as selfish as you seem to think."
"Good one," Vao muttered. "So funny I forgot to laugh..."
Verde forced her legs to move closer, up the hill to where Vao stood. "... I don't care what you think," she repeated. "V-Vao... Please... Don't you see? You're ignoring how you feel because you want what's best for someone else... Is that selfish?"
Vao opened his mouth to release a bitter remark. But nothing came out. He closed his jaws, visibly struggling to come up with a counterpoint. Verde reached her hands out for his, her fingers trembling when she felt the heat of his palms. She was beginning to fully realize just how feminine Vao was. His hands felt like a woman's, and shaped like one. Not a trace of masculinity all the way to his thin face.
"... I don't care what kind of person you think you are," Verde croaked. "V... V-Vao, to me... You're the most... M-most..."
Yin was lying flat on his stomach, peering through the long grass. It felt twisted to be listening in on a private conversation. But he kept silent. Verde took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
"You're the most important person to me," she finally said. "I... If anything, it's me who doesn't deserve you. You talk to me... You've always been nice to me. Even when others give you weird looks, you don't care. You just laugh it off, and keep talking. You... You even stand up for me when it comes to Yin..."
Vao had fallen silent. He just stared blankly at the witch before him, his lips parted ever so slightly. "... I-I... C-can't... Mate," he whispered.
Verde's eyes were growing wet. A hard lump grew in her throat. "Vao... P-please... I d... Don't want anyone else... I want you..."
Vao looked like he was going to cave. "... V-Verde... Please r-rethink this..."
"No," Verde breathed. She stepped closer to Vao, staring up at him. "B-because... My mind won't change, Vao..."
Yin watched as Vao's head began to lower, his lips meeting Verde's. The cleric sighed. At least now Vao would have a shoulder to lean on. He was about to leave when Vao's voice stopped him.
"V-Verde!? Wot's wrong!?"
He looked back. The witch had crumpled to the ground, her back heaving in gut-wrenching sobs. Something was wrong.
Something was very wrong.
Yin could feel his heart thumping in his chest again. She should've been happy, shouldn't she? She didn't look like it. She was having a breakdown. He crawled a bit closer, finally hearing what she was repeating over and over.
"R-Rojo... R-Rojo..."
Yin's mind went blank. He knew Rojo. Rojo ran the cathedral in Faralda, in the northernmost section of the city. It was a long walk, so he had always gone to the parish down the road from his house. But he knew who Cardinal Rojo was. The pieces began to click. Rojo's last name.
Rojo's last name was Forest. Just like Verde.
Realization nearly crushed him into the hillside. Verde was Rojo's daughter. But that made very little sense; Rojo was a Cardinal. To have a witch as a daughter, that would mean he either practiced witchcraft himself or...
Verde's mother. The only explanation was that Verde's mother had been a witch that was under Rojo's protection through marriage. Vao looked disgusted with himself. "V-Verde, I'm sorry! Who is Rojo?"
The witch shrank away from him. "Y-Your breath," she stammered. "Your breath!"
Yin and Vao both remembered Raven's warning. To not drink around Verde. Vao had taken a sip from his flask, and yhe moment she tasted the vodka on Vao's breath, she was forced into remembering her childhood. Vao was rifling through his pockets, finding his tin of mints that his mother had given him before downing the whole thing. The thief crouched down next to her, his body shaking like a leaf.
"V... Verde...?"
The witch looked back up at him, her eyes flashing with recognition. With a cry she leapt forward, catching the thief off guard. Yin stared in silent horror.
He had bashed her countless times for never showing any expression. He had bullied her for it. And now he could see it; for the first time, she showed an expression. For the first time, he realized the ugly truth about Verde. She was traumatized. Whatever Rojo had done, it scarred her permanently. Yin wasn't sure he even wanted to know what happened. He had never seen anyone break down like that in his life.
Vao tried to hold Verde, but she flinched. He drew back his arms, not daring to move them any closer. "... V... Verde, who... Who is Rojo...? You mean... Cardinal Rojo?"
Verde didn't answer for a long while. Her back heaved in and out, her fingers scratching at the back of Vao's leather armor as if he'd disappear.
"M... M-my... F-father..."
Vao hesitated, reaching out his arms again. Verde shivered, but she didn't flinch. With a tremble, she pulled away to stare at him. He could see it clearly.
Among all four members of their party, Verde had it the worst. The witch's lips parted, her heart roaring inside her small body.
"C... Cardinal Rojo... Is my f-father," she repeated. Her grip tightened on Vao's arm, the thief running his hand through her hair.
"... You don't have to talk about it, mate..."
The witch let out a shaky sigh. "I..."
Glynda's words rang through her head. She trusted Vao more than anyone else. She knew that he'd protect her. And... She felt she had this conversation with him before. But when? She never told anyone about her childhood. Ever since they met that day in the swamp, she felt as if she had known him. She felt an odd sense of safety, of security. "... I... I want to tell you," she whispered.
Yin crawled a bit closer to hear, hoping Vao wouldn't notice. But the femboy was too focused on Verde to see the tall grass sway, and even if he did he would have suspected it was just the breeze. "... If it gets to be too much... Stop, okay?"
Verde nodded. "... Okay..."
She took a deep breath, and then a second. Mentally readying herself, she told her story.
"... I was born to a woman named Midori Forest. She... She was a witch," she croaked. "Through marriage, she was protected. And I was too, because of Rojo. But that... D-didn't stop him from hitting us. Because I was a witch, I was never allowed to go to school. I only had Mother. No one wanted to be friends with the daughter of a witch, and I had begun to show symptoms of magic when I was young. The only friend I had... It was my Mother. She would teach me to read, to use spells that would make flowers grow. That's why I'll never forget that day. F-five years after I was born..."
A little closer, Yin crept. Verde was growing quieter, and Vao was too focused to see him.
"I... I was playing outside because Mother and Rojo were arguing again... I didn't want to get hit too, so I went outside. And then I... H-heard a scream..." Her grip tightened, her knuckles turning white. Her teeth were grinding together, a sharp and ragged breath escaping her lips. When Vao ran his fingers through her hair again, she could feel herself relaxing.
"It was louder th-than usual... I w-went back inside... And Mother wasn't m-moving... Rojo stood in the kitchen, his hands dripping with blood. He beat her to death. And he never faced punishment for it; everybody knew, but they didn't care. She was a witch, on the same social status as orcs and elves - inhuman monsters that didn't deserve the right to live, in the eyes of the Church. I'll never forget what he said to me, staring at me with those eyes." She bit her lip, her eyes growing wet. "'No one can save you now.'"
Yin could feel it clicking again. He had a horrible feeling in his stomach. He didn't like where he thought this was going. And from Vao's face, the thief knew it too.
"D... D-did he...?"
Verde nodded, a low croak escaping the lump in her throat. "E-everyone day... He'd... H-he'd come home drunk. He'd g-go to my room, h-he'd do what he w-wanted... A-and when I fought, he'd... J-just hit me until I c-couldn't move...! S-sometimes, his friends would watch, j-just to laugh!"
Vao had felt disgusted with himself plenty of times. They all paled in comparison to how he felt now. He felt his skin crawling. He slipped his hand into his pocket, standing up. For a second, Yin thought he was caught. He was about to run, but Vao pulled his hand out of his pocket, and with it he held something that glinted in the moonlight. Without any reluctance, he reeled his arm back and threw his flask as far as he could, the tin sailing into the darkness of the night. Yin and Verde could only stare in silence.
Vao loved drinking. He did it all the time, ever since he was little. It was the one thing he had sworn multiple times he'd never stop doing. But there was was, throwing out his booze. Verde shook where she sat, staring up at him. "V-Vao... The w-withdrawals-"
"Don't. Bloody. Care," Vao hissed. "I don't bloody care about the stupid withdrawals anymore. I don't bloody care if it'll hurt. I'm done drinking."
Yin didn't realize Vao cared about Verde this much - or anyone for that matter. To give up his addiction like that, facing the consequences for someone else's sake. He turned back to the witch, sitting on his knees in front of her.
"I won't..." He gulped, swallowing down the vomit he could feel rising in his throat. "I won't... P-put you through that, m-mate..."
Verde stared at him, her shoulders shaking. With another low croak, she leaned forward into him, her arms hanging at her sides. Vao didn't say anything. He only held her in complete silence.
Yin rolled over onto his back, his hand clamped over his mouth. He never could have imagined something like that. He didn't think that Verde had experienced something so horrible.
It all made sense now. Her lack of facial expression - it was from her childhood. It wasn't that she felt indifferent. She didn't have the ability to wear an expression. It never mattered if she screamed or cried, it never stopped. He could feel his eyes growing wet. He felt like the scum of the earth, bullying her for that. It was only when he heard Vao and Verde leave that he finally made a sound. He puked in the grass, crouching on his hands and knees. The guilt crushed him, feeling like a boulder on his back.
He felt like a scumbag. All the times he ragged on Vao for sleeping with people that weren't human, yet he was the biggest piece of shit in the party. He spat out the last chunks of his dinner, looking back towards the camp. He could see Vao sitting next to Verde's bedroll, whispering something into the witch's ear. The cleric shakily rise to his feet, approaching silently. Vao turned his head the moment the blonde stepped into the firelight, scowling at him.
"Wot are you lookin' at? Where'd you even go?"
Yin wanted to apologize. But he couldn't do that in front of Vao. If he admitted to hitting Verde now, he wasn't sure what the thief would do. He could see Verde staring up at him from her bedroll behind him, watching his every move. Her face had returned to the seemingly blank slate it usually was, locking rigid. He just averted his gaze.
"... Had to take a leak," he lied quietly. "That's all... Have a good night, you guys..."
He could feel Vao's glare following him back to his bedroll. And as he climbed under the blanket, he heard the thief mutter something that he couldn't even be angry at anymore.
"Rotten cleric..."
...
The doll rested lifelessly on the table as Ruby cut the last thread, the scissors trembling. The Blood flowed through her bloodstream freely. Her cigarette smoldered dimly in her lips, the smoke wafting through the air. Jack didn't mind the smell.
The doll's limbs dangled limply as Ruby picked it up with the same care one would try and hold a bubble, as if it were as fragile as a flake of snow. Its soulless button eyes stared back up at her emptily, the stitched smile grinning at her pallid face. Jack leaned over her shoulder, his smile stretching.
"Such a beautiful dolly... Doesn't her hair feel so nice?" He crooned. "Did you enjoy making your first doll?"
Ruby's sickness was beginning to grow. With a trembling hand, she reached her fingers out to stroke the light brown locks. But when she gave them the slightest tug, they would fall out. Jack's yellow eyes flicked towards her own silver ones, his teeth parting from each other as he spoke in that soft, calm voice that had never uttered a curse. That voice that made him persuasive, manipulative. He knew what to say to ensure the Blood would take her Soul - and to ensure she accepted it.
"Aw... Jack can only teach you so much," he whispered into her ear. "You'll have to practice, mon ami..."
"P-practice... Making d-dolls," Ruby echoed. Her lips pressed together to breathe in the smoke, billowing it from her nostrils.
"Doesn't it feel... Natural, mon ami Ruby?"
When she held the doll in her hands, the cigarette fell from her mouth, the cherry going out when it landed in the puddle of her own sweat and urine.
"Ha... Ha ha..."
She could feel Jack step away, finally walking towards the closet. His smile didn't shrink; against all possible odds, it continued to grow.
"We can continue," he chuckled lightly. "... Would you like to make another dolly, built to perfection?"
Perfection. The word echoed in her sick head. She could make perfection. The desperation bloomed like a horrible garden, her fingers tightening around the doll. The seams burst open, stuffing spilling from the bloodless wounds. She was terrified of the world outside. After seeing the Church, after meeting someone like Jack, she could make her own perfect creations. With a shrill, shaky, and desperate cry, she gave her answer.
"P-please! I need a d-dolly! I want to make a dolly!"
Jack's key had already unlocked the closet. The only thing that held it shit was his hand pressed against the rusted steel. His eyes flickered with that same excitement. The excitement that revealed his madness, yet... Was pure, in a twisted way. He loved what he did, believing it to be the purest form of love.
His victims were indiscriminate. He never favored one over the other because Jack loved everybody. "... Is this your choice, mademoiselle?"
"Yes! I need... I n-need..."
She was losing her grip on herself. Jack's eyes widened. Her Soul had nearly accepted the Blood, just like he wanted. And once she was ensnared, she'd be one of the Blessed. "Need?"
"D-dolly..." Ruby clutched the sides of her head, pulling at her hair. The strands snapped, stuck in between her trembling fists. "I need it! I need a dolly!"
Jack chuckled softly. "Like a child, mon ami," he cooed. "Très bien alors! Make your perfect dolly!"
The closet swung open, revealing the grotesque sight inside. Bones, stacked in piles. Intestines hung from the coat hangars. Limbs in another stack. Shaven head on a shelf above. The rest thrown into the middle. Ruby stared in disbelief. It had to be something straight from the depths of Hell. There was no possible way she was looking at it right now. And finally, she looked down at the doll she made with Jack.
The silky smooth hair, the leathery skin. The doll fell from her hands, falling into the puddle. Her legs didn't have time to tremble - she fell where she stood, her lips parting wide in a scream of utter horror.
The doll was made from the dead. Sewn from human skin and hair, it was the most horrifying thing she had seen. Not even Leaf's murders were like this. They were just messy and gruesome. Just as she learned only hours before, she was reminded just how much worse Jack was compared to the rest.
It wasn't his cannibalism. It wasn't murder. He couldn't feel anything for others. To him, this was as natural as a serene forest, untouched by civilization. Jack giggled, leaning forward. "Is something wrong, mademoiselle? Don't you want to make another dolly?" He mocked. "I have no interest in dolls. But you seemed to be having so much fun... Is this not true?"
Ruby's stomach bent and twisted, vomiting out its contents. And when nothing was left, there was only the painful dry heaving. Jack stared down at her, his eyes almost seeming to glow in the dim light of the windowless basement. "... Mademoiselle... Didn't you make that dolly? That dolly you seemed to cherish and adore?"
Ruby was a ball. She curled into the fetal position, the stench of vomit flooding her nostrils. She wanted her parents. Hell, she'd even take Leaf's sadistic, murderous games over this. She barely registered the Ripper's words. She didn't want to look at him, the doll, or the things she unknowingly used to make the doll.
She remembered hearing whispers through the door when Iris would make her stand outside during meetings.
A demon who wears human skin. A name that couldn't be more fitting to Jack the Ripper. An unstoppable monster whose very nature was to kill, to torture. She could hear the serial killer whispering to her once again.
"Oh la la... Are you feeling scared of Jack?"
His boots sounded like thunder as he gently approached her. In reality, they were as silent as a mouse. Gently he sat her upright, cupping her cheeks in his hands.
"Mademoiselle... Why are you so scared? You're already Blessed. Just like me."
Ruby tried to scream at him that he was wrong. That she wasn't anywhere near as fucked in the head as he was.
"You made me do it!" She screamed into his face. Jack didn't flinch. He only smiled, like he always did. Ruby's breath caught in her throat, sick, painful gasps for air. "You moved my hands! You lied to me!"
She was breathing raggedly, staring in unfiltered horror. She just screamed in Jack's face. Just as Leaf warned her not to. Jack's teeth parted again, that calm and thoughtful laughter filling her ears.
"Non, non, non... I never lied. It was not possible for me to lie. You just never asked," he giggled. "And I stopped holding your wrists when you sewed the first stitching... I wanted you to make it yourself. Didn't you think it was strange, that the hair felt so similar to your own? That when you touched your fingers, and then the leather, they felt the same? Do not flee from the truth, Ruby Rose... You knew... Is this not true, mon ami?"
He wasn't angry. He was breaking her. And the worst of it all was he hadn't told a single lie. Everything he said she did, and everything he said he did was the cold truth. She had known Jack was insane. Deep down, she knew what those materials had been collected from. Jack shifted out of the way, showing her the macabre closet, staring at it with love in his eyes.
"... You feel it, mon ami... I know. You want to make another perfect dolly... To take the unforgiving, imperfect people of this world, and give them perfection..."
Ruby's mind snapped. Unable to take the terrible sight and listen to Jack's calm, friendly voice, she lost her ability to reason with her humanity. Shakily, pushing herself to her knees, she shuffled forward, her eyes focused only on the closet of dead bodies.
And as she approached, she began to fantasize.
To dream of all the perfect dolls she could make. The thought made her smile.
And Jack's smile only grew. Ruby's Soul was tainted by the Blood. She was Blessed by the Dark God that had tainted him.