askthefivefallen

[askthefivefallen]

Are you the big spoon or the little spoon?

T: "Well, I'm usually the big spoon, but I love when I get to be the little spoon. Although, I think it's called 'jetpacking' because Lefty's smaller than me. Not by much! But, ya know." L: "I'm perfectly happy with our slight size difference." J: "I'm definitely a little spoon." R: "Why are all of you spoons?" T: "Oh! You know how spoons fit together?" R: "No?" L: "Righty, how have you missed a rotation on dish duty?" R: "I'm usually doing other things!" L: "A likely story."

[askthefivefallen]

If you had to describe yourselves using only words that begin with the letter C, how would you?

L: "Concise." T: " Cooperative would be one! Competitive, maybe. Caring? There's a lot of 'c' words that work!" J: "Chill? I think. Oh, or cuddlebug. That's what Sal calls me sometimes, anyway." R: "How about keen?" L: "... no." R: "I'm perceptive!" L: "Keen starts with a 'k', Righty." R: "Oh... uh... how about confident?" A: "How about cunt!" R: "What was-" T: "I didn't hear anything!" L: "Confident works." R: "Great!"

[askthefivefallen]

Just read through all of this and it’s the beans of the barbecue! You really made something special with the series and then all of this. Tremendous job!

((Glad you enjoyed! These five really took off on their own, with help from all the folks who've interacted.))

[askthefivefallen]

The stories you have written here are excellent and I loved reading them. Kudos!

((Thank you! And thanks to everyone who contributed!))

[askthefivefallen]

R: *a bit of hope comes to her expression* "Her name's Rin. She's- she's gorgeous, with piercing, haunted orange eyes, a scar across her nose, and hair that fades from coal black to the warm brown of milk chocolate. She's got a frontliner's build, strong and hardy, and sometimes she'll give a little smile that almost reaches her eyes. She's been down there so long." *she looks at the spray can of cheese and crackers in her hands* "Honestly, you don't even need to find her. I can, if I can just get back there- I know she technically belongs to Purgatory, and I don't, but... please? Even just seeing her again... knowing she's okay..."

***A can of spray cheese is left in front of Righty’s door

R: "... what even is this?" *she picks up the can, reads the directions, and shrugs* "So... it's edible." *taking off the cap, she sprays some into her hand and tentatively licks it* "Huh. Tastes edible." *she shrugs* "Well... this counts as food, I guess." *proceeds to eat the cheese in her hand, then spray some directly into her mouth* "Guess this counts as lunch now."

[askthefivefallen]

R: *she opens her mouth, then stops, shoulders falling* "There's... another Exorcist there, she's been... trapped for a long time. I just- I want to find a way back to her but... well, we all kinda look alike to some extent, so I don't think I could describe her in a way you could really pick her out from a crowd... and Purgatory itself is shrouded in mist, so nothing distinctive to latch onto there... you can't just banish me? I'm Fallen- isn't that enough?" *she sighs* "I just... want to get back to her..."

***A can of spray cheese is left in front of Righty’s door

R: "... what even is this?" *she picks up the can, reads the directions, and shrugs* "So... it's edible." *taking off the cap, she sprays some into her hand and tentatively licks it* "Huh. Tastes edible." *she shrugs* "Well... this counts as food, I guess." *proceeds to eat the cheese in her hand, then spray some directly into her mouth* "Guess this counts as lunch now."

[askthefivefallen]

R: "... uh, thanks?" *she takes the crackers* "Um... you might actually, uh, have some... insight I could use." *she pauses* "Do you know anything about Purgatory? Can you send me there?"

***A can of spray cheese is left in front of Righty’s door

R: "... what even is this?" *she picks up the can, reads the directions, and shrugs* "So... it's edible." *taking off the cap, she sprays some into her hand and tentatively licks it* "Huh. Tastes edible." *she shrugs* "Well... this counts as food, I guess." *proceeds to eat the cheese in her hand, then spray some directly into her mouth* "Guess this counts as lunch now."

[askthefivefallen]

***A can of spray cheese is left in front of Righty’s door

R: "... what even is this?" *she picks up the can, reads the directions, and shrugs* "So... it's edible." *taking off the cap, she sprays some into her hand and tentatively licks it* "Huh. Tastes edible." *she shrugs* "Well... this counts as food, I guess." *proceeds to eat the cheese in her hand, then spray some directly into her mouth* "Guess this counts as lunch now."

[askthefivefallen]

So now that Domino is back, how’s Junior doing?

J: "I'm doing great! Having Domino back to his old self really set my mind at ease. Learning all the specifics of... everything else was, uh, some... shit, to be honest." T: "Weren't expecting to have such a powerful being as a bestie?" J: "More like curious as to how I didn't see the signs?" T: "Eh, we were never really made to seek out holy or angelic beings. Or halfbreeds. Or... whatever Domino is. Or whatever Charlie is! You know, we really weren't given much in the way of holy powers." J: "True. Or coping mechanisms. We kinda... shut down when bad things happen to us. Like me with Domino and Righty with Rin." T: "Well, can't learn how to deal with things like that without going through them! It does worry me, though..." J: "You're worried? About what?" T: "Well, what happens if Lefty and I break up? I mean, I know I won't take it well. I'll be destroyed. Half of us being emotionally destroyed isn't good!" J: "... I... are you counting on Righty being totally recovered by this point or are you saying you don't think Lefty would be equally destroyed?" T: "Well, I mean, if we're breaking up, it's not gonna be me doing the breaking up! Uh... does that make sense?" J: "I'm pretty sure Lefty thinks the same thing. Either way, let's not worry about what could be or how, uh, broken up I was- we just need to keep supporting Righty until she's really back on her feet."

[askthefivefallen]

What’s your opinions on ballet?

T: "It's really cool to watch! It takes a ton of dedication to be even a little good, years of practice- it's hard to not find that amazing." L: "You sound a bit wistful, Dear. Have you considered taking up ballet?" T: "There's some aspects to it I find really cool! Ballet requires a different type of strength, something that's way more graceful. It's... a bit outside my wheelhouse." L: "Would you like to try learning?" T: "See, I've thought about it! But the only ballet dancer we know is Miss Carmilla-" L: "Point taken. Perhaps we can simply admire from afar. Righty? What do you think of ballet?" R: "It's fine. Hard to follow some of the storylines sometimes. They all seem so sad." L: "I... think you might be projecting a little but... I also don't know enough about ballet to know, for certain, if you're wrong. Junior?" J: "Art is cool but it's not really to my tastes." L: "I see. I rather enjoy ballet as an artform but they're also very long. I have to be in the mood for it, I suppose." T: "..." *clears throat* "It's weird doing these without Ass around." R: "Sometimes, you have to accept that people... aren't always going to be around." L: "Okay, mopey, that's enough. Let's go talk about it some more." J: "... think she'll be okay?" T: "I hope so."

[askthefivefallen]

J: *blinks*

J: "THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN, DOM, YOU JUST- WHAT THE FUCK MAN!?"

T: "Oh, no, is he yelling at the worm now?" L: "I... somehow doubt it?" T: "Let's just poke our heads inside real quick."

J: "YOU GET STABBED THROUGH THE CHEST, TURN INTO A- INTO A WORM! LIKE YOUR SON! AND THEN! YOU POOF BACK ALL 'LET'S GO PARTY'!? DUDE! WHAT! THE! FUCK!"

(Swats at your cocoon body.)

@ask-keekee

*Domino's cocoon flops out of Salem's bed and slides under a nearby dresser. It is not visible from a standing position.*

(( @ask-keekee & @askthefivefallen ))

[askthefivefallen]

J: "Keekee? What are you doing? You have your own bed, you don't need to be in Salem's-" *he begins frantically looking around* "Wait. Waitwaitwait. Domino? Buddy? Where'd you go?" S: *as Junior begins to panic while searching frantically, Salem jumps down from his owner's bed to land beside Keekee. He then bops Keekee on the head for making Junior panic*

J: "TITS! LEFTY! I CAN'T FIND DOMINO!"

T: *heavy sigh* "We'll help look. I'm sure he's around here somewhere." L: "Babe, it's the sixth time this week." T: "And I'm sure there'll be a seventh; we'll keep doing it." L: "Okay, you're right."

((@ask-keekee))

(Swats at your cocoon body.)

@ask-keekee

*Domino's cocoon flops out of Salem's bed and slides under a nearby dresser. It is not visible from a standing position.*

(( @ask-keekee & @askthefivefallen ))

[askthefivefallen]

What would your Pokémon team look like?

T: "Pokémon?" L: "It's a human video game. Basically, monsters with powers who are also your friends." T: "Oh, that's neat! How many are in a team?" L: "Six. Which... may be difficult, considering our unfamiliarity with the property." T: "Aw, c'mon, we can handle it! How many Pokémon are there to pick from?" L: "Over a thousand." T: "Over a thousand!?" ... "Uh... that's... a lot..." L: "To keep it simple, let's just pick a few, okay? I think you'd like fire types- like Flareon or Arcanine." T: "Fire cat and fire dog? Hell yeah!" L: "More like... actually, I don't know if Eevee and the evolutions are more foxlike or not... but, if you want a fire cat, Incineroar is an option." T: "Oh, hey, that one looks like it'd be a good lifting buddy! Well, if I'm fire types, what about you? Water because you cool me down?" L: *chuckles* "I was thinking more psychic type. Galarian Rapidash and Hatterene are cute, and I think Espeon would be my preferred Eeveelution." T: "You know, babe, I'm starting to suspect you know more about Pokémon than you're letting on." L: "Not at all." T: "Uh huh." L: "I do think we'd both like Armarogue, though." T: "Hey, yeah. Okay, so that's four for each of us. How about Righty?" L: "Frankly, all things considered... despite the dour turn her mood's taken recently, I do think she's more of an electric type overall. She's usually upbeat and positive. Jolteon, Kilowattrel, Pawmot, and... Plusle." T: "... that hesitation worries me. What about Junior?" L: "Sylveon, without a doubt. Carbink and Ribombee. Clefable... I think fairy type would suit him, as they often have special circumstances to evolve, much like Junior needed a truly unique perspective to realize his best self." T: "I guess that's fair. What about Ass?" L: "Dark type. Umbreon, Zoroark, Krookodile, and Houndoom. They might look scary, but they're mostly pranksters and protectors." T: "... so how many of these games have you played?" L: "... most of them..." T: "That's cool! Can you show me sometime?" L: "Uh... yes, of course. These games, uh, they're usually released in pairs. Same overall story progression, different Pokémon available." T: "Oh, so we could play together sometime? Neat! I'm down."

[askthefivefallen]

Happy national ghost hunting day!

T: “Oh, shoot- with all the commotion, I just saw this! I’m so sad we still haven’t had a good, proper ghost hunt yet. It just seems like nothing’s slowed down since… well…”

T: “Maybe I can… no. Righty and Junior are both too upset. We can’t go right now… but soon! First chance I get, stargazing and ghost hunting!”

[askthefivefallen]

J: *craddles Domino against his chest* "I'm so sorry, buddy, I swear it won't happen again. I'll protect you like you protected me, I swear. I'll do better."

All your worm are belong to me. -💰

@askthefivefallen

@dammitdomino

(Image credit @canibalistic-brownie)

[askthefivefallen]

Failure to Communicate

Righty blinked.

In her existence, she’d had a lot of interesting experiences. The Exterminations, Falling, working at the hotel- not unique, but interesting.

However, she was almost certain no Exorcist angel had ever been thrown through an infernal portal conjured by an Ars Goetia.

Until her, anyway.

“Uh… okay… guess that was a long shot anyway.” Righty picked herself up off the ground and dusted off her hotel uniform. “Where’d that bastard send me, anyway?”

Righty had seen a lot of Hell by this point. More than when the Exterminations were happening, anyway- she’d been to other Rings, she’d ridden the elevator a few times, all that- but she didn’t recognize the shadowy, fog filled field she seemed to be. Actually, could it even be a field if there was nothing but dirt and rocks? Lefty would probably know.

She spread her wings, intending to fly up and get a better look… but every time she flapped them… nothing… happened? She couldn’t get off the ground. She couldn’t fly, as if something was keeping her in place. But infernal magic couldn’t do that, she was pretty sure; Angel Dust had tested if they could break handcuffs and other restraints their first week working at the hotel for reasons he refused to elaborate on but she suspected were tied to Vaggie’s yelling a few days later.

Which… would imply there’s some… Holy power at work… but where could an Ars Goetia send her that would be under Heaven’s-

“Oh… no… am I in Purgatory? That place actually exists!?” Righty groaned, stamping her foot. “Why? Why here? How the fuck do I get out of-”

From behind, she was tackled to the ground, and she turned ready to shout but a hand covered her mouth as a face appeared over her.

Another Exorcist, still in her black and silver uniform, orange eyes blazing with a long burning fury that pinned her in place. Just beyond orange and brown hair, Righty spotted something truly horrifying flying above- four wings but eyeless, with long pikes clenched in demonic claws, and open jaws filled with serrated teeth. Lesser Dominions, those who could only hear, and listened to purge the souls trapped in Purgatory.

It flew over them, seeking its next target, and the Exorcist above her watched it fly away before glaring and letting her up.

“Thanks,” Righty said, her voice far softer as she pushed herself up and dusted herself off. So much for her one claim to uniqueness. “What’s an Exorcist doing down here?” The question sparks nothing from the other Exorcist. “Um, okay, maybe that’s a touchy subject. Well… uh… my name’s Righty. What’s yours?” Nothing- and now she was walking away. “Wait!”

The moment Righty grabbed her, the Exorcist reacted, and Righty did as well, summoning her halberd to her hand to block… the… fist?

Her brows furrowed while the other’s shot up in surprise. “Where’s your weapon?”

The Exorcist backs away and tilts her head, pointing to her ear.

“You can’t hear me?” Righty presses her lips into a thin line. “I don’t remember that being a rule of Purgatory- oh! Are you deaf?”

After saying the word, Righty remembered that she is, as Lefty often put it, a bit dumb sometimes.

Thinking quickly, she used the butt of her halberd to scratch into the dirt at their feet.

‘Deaf?’

The Exorcist read the word- upside down, because Righty didn’t think that far ahead- and nodded.

Righty smiled. “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere.” She quickly wiped the word away with her shoe and scratched out another word.

‘Name?’

She then pointed at herself and shook her right hand while speaking slowly. “Righty. My name is Righty.”

The flat look she received in response seemed to convey that speaking slowly wasn’t helping. However, the Exorcist motioned for her halberd and Righty handed it over, watching as she scratched out her name.

‘Rin.’

“Rin.” Righty nodded, then looked up to see Rin cross two fingers, then extend her pinky, then loop her two fingers over her thumb. Three hand gestures, three… letters? Was that how to spell her name? Righty raised her left hand and mimicked the motions, much to Rin’s surprise. “Like that?”

Rin tilted her head, her lips curling slightly. She did the motions again, then capped it off by crossing her fingers and moving her hand like… a sword? No, wait- if the other gestures were letters, maybe this was… pronouncing the word?

‘R-I-N, Rin?’

Rin nodded. She did only the gesture and pointed towards Rin and received a nod in response.

“Okay, so I know how to say… er, well… I’ve got your name.” Righty once again resorted to drawing in the dirt. ‘Out?’

Rin shook her head, looking crestfallen.

“Yeah, I figured.” Righty sighed, looking around… but there was nothing to see. So… they had time. 

‘Teach?’

Rin raised a brow, and only then did Righty really adjust to being in Purgatory enough to notice the scars on her face. She’d either had to fight one of the Dominions or… that was from before…

Righty pointed at Rin, then at her own ear. She did the signs for Rin’s name, then wrote her own name in the dirt and pointed to it.

Rin rolled her eyes and turned as if to leave but stopped a few steps away, shoulders falling as she turned back. One of Rin’s wings extended and, for all the time Righty had been gone from Heaven, her stripes remained. While nothing else about them might be the same, their wings were similar enough that Rin turned back, tapped her foot against the ‘g’ in Righty’s name, and made a sign with her hand.

Righty smiled.

Now, they were really getting somewhere!

—

Time didn’t really exist in Purgatory. There was no day or night, just a persistent gray miasma that weighed everything down. After hours of learning how to do the hand language, they started walking. The direction didn’t seem to matter as their footing never seemed to change, just the desolate wasteland of Purgatory. In the distance, Righty could hear others lamenting their fate and the rush of Dominion wings hunting them down, silencing them. There were others in the fog, quieter, but still holding out hope that it might end.

Righty felt bad for them… Purgatory was supposed to have an end point but, after the Exterminations started, Heaven had closed the path up the mountain and shrouded the whole of it in fog. There was no salvation awaiting them. Hope and faith could not save them.

Rin, of course, couldn’t hear them, but she could see their shadows in the fog and steered clear of them. It made sense. They didn’t really resemble the Dominions but mortals would see wings and jump to conclusions. Rin probably would’ve avoided Righty if there hadn’t been imminent danger, and the way the Exorcist tensed, as if she could sense the Dominions’ approach… she’d been there for a long time.

They walked until they were tired, then sat and Righty learned some more. Hunger and thirst weren’t much of a concern but sleep was- at least, for Righty. Rin seemed content to sit, hunched over, and just rest.

Well… none of that.

Righty waved to get Rin’s attention. ‘Down.’

‘What?’

‘Down.’ She didn’t know the word for sleep, so she spelled it. ‘S-L-E-E-P.’

Rin shook her head.

‘N-O T-R-U-S-T?’

‘Yes.’ Righty huffed out a breath and got to her feet. ‘What?’

Righty explained, brokenly, that she’d remain standing until Rin laid down, to which the Exorcist shrugged and acted as if she didn’t care.

So there Righty stood for a few hours, at least, before Rin became frustrated enough to lie down on her back, arms crossed over her chest and glaring at Righty. Righty smiled and sat down, laying the shaft of her halberd across her lap. ‘Me, F-I-R-S-T W-A-T-C-H.’

‘You S-U-C-K.’

Righty stuck out her tongue and Rin rolled her eyes. Little did Rin know, Righty had experience dealing with Ass’ stubbornness, but the cantankerous Fallen had one really solid point: when they were all they had left, it meant they had to stick together. There was no escaping Purgatory. So, for all intents and purposes, it was just her and Rin. They had to take care of each other.

After about ten minutes of glaring, Rin had resigned herself to the situation enough to fall into a short but deep sleep.

Interestingly, she snored. Righty thought it was kinda cute.

—

It took a few nights for the exhaustion to wear off enough that Righty understood why Rin had refused to sleep. Nightmares plagued her, left her gasping and watching with a silent cry on her lips and tears in her eyes. Whatever had caused her to be sent to this place, the wounds were not visible but they were deep. 

Righty felt for her. At least through all the things she’d experienced, she had Lefty at her side. Sure, she was around less after getting together with Tits, and that was… an adjustment, at first. But, still, she had someone. Rin had been alone for so long.

They walked in the same direction every day. Rin eventually explained she wasn’t looking for an exit- she knew none existed- but sitting still would drive them both crazy. They were Exorcists, hunters of Sinners- they were meant to be restless and persistent. So, they walked.

Rin didn’t seem to like talking about her existence prior to Purgatory and Righty didn’t exactly have the vocabulary… but she tried. She explained the hotel, the other Fallen, some of their hijinks; she learned how to ‘say’ their names. Junior got a ‘J’ with both hands, kinda, but it was mixed with the word ‘change’. Lefty got ‘knowledge’ that then formed a ‘L’. Tits was a ‘T’ combined with ‘happy’. Ass got ‘A’ and ‘fight’. The one for Righty, she couldn’t really figure out; it was ‘R’ that Rin shook from her head. She refused to elaborate and Righty accepted it.

But what Rin didn’t tell her, Righty learned in other ways. Deaf she might be, Rin was still an Exorcist with the senses and skills of a trained huntress. She remained calm and poised throughout everything. There was never fear in those blazing orange eyes but just anger, burning just as hot as it had when they first met. Righty never got the sense Rin was mad at her- just… mad at being there, probably.

Honestly? Fair.

—

Righty had first watch again. Rin was beginning to stir from nightmares. She probably shouldn’t but… Righty moved quickly to Rin’s side and put a hand, gently on her shoulder- just to try and reassure her, maybe soothe her back to sleep. Rin leaned her head towards Righty’s hand in her sleep, as if needing the comfort…

She didn’t really… get it, when Lefty talked about Tits. She didn’t understand why Ass would risk her actual fucking existence for a joke. When her heart skipped a beat, though… she got it. She understood why Lefty got so flustered, why Ass faced down Sera’s wrath. Her lips lifted into a smile and she moved her hand to, very carefully, cup Rin’s cheek, avoiding her scars and just soothing her back into slumber.

It was probably stupid of her to think it… but Purgatory might be worth this feeling.

—

Maybe it was just wearing her down or some good, nightmare-less ‘nights’, but Rin started to loosen up a little. She smiled a bit when Righty got through a whole story without having to spell out any words. She even laughed!

Righty wished the others could meet her. Tits would love to learn how to do the hand language and Lefty would find it stimulating. Junior got along with just about everyone. Even Ass, if she’d made it back to Hell, would have a blast learning a new way to curse.

Little daydreams like that got her through the monotony of just… walking. She’d never walked this much before. Even around the hotel, she usually found an excuse to use her wings at least a little bit.

She also found herself wondering if she should say anything… it wasn’t like they were pressed for time. They had all eternity. She could wait.

Honestly, she probably should.

Righty heard the wings first and quickly put her halberd out, signaling to Rin for both of them to kneel down as a Dominion passed overhead.

Rin smiled at her and nodded. ‘Good job.’

She smiled wide in return.

Fuck, she really wouldn’t last long, would she?

—

They sat side-by-side, preparing to get through another ‘day’ of walking. Righty cleared her throat. “You know… I really like you.”

From the corner of her eye, she could tell Rin wasn’t paying her much attention. She couldn’t hear Righty. So, no risk.

“And… it’s weird because I’ve never felt like this before… I thought I was happy just having friends but… I get it now. What love feels like. So… if nothing else, thank you for… being my first love.”

Rin blinked and turned towards her, brows furrowed. ‘What?’

Righty smiled in response. ‘Thinking out loud.’

Rin drew back and raised a brow. ‘You can think?’

Righty shoved at her shoulder, laughing, and saw the laughter in Rin’s eyes matching her.

—

They were walking again, of course, when she suddenly felt a… tug… and stopped.

Rin stopped, too, looking at her with a questioning tilt to her head.

Righty shrugged- then was tugged again, backwards, stumbling a step.

In that moment, for the first time, she saw fear in Rin’s eyes. ‘Rin-’

A portal ripped open behind her and black talons sunk into her. Righty dropped her halberd to reach out for Rin even as the Exorcist tried to grab her- but too late. She was ripped backwards through the portal…

… and into the hotel lobby.

“Righty!” Lefty and Tits spoke in unison, Tits offering her a hand up while Lefty dropped down beside her.

‘Send me back!’ Both of them just stared at her. Right, they can hear her. “Send me back!”

“Absolutely not.” She twisted around, watching as Prince Stolas shook his head. “Opening a portal to Purgatory puts all of Hell at risk. If one of those Dominions gets loose, it will be pandemonium!”

“Okay, then go back and grab Rin!”

Owlish features furrowed in confusion. “Who?”

“She’s another Exorcist- she’s down there and-”

He raised a hand to stop her. “I was only able to get you back because you are not marked for Purgatory. I can’t yank any soul from that dreary place. Lucifer might have that power but I doubt it.”

“Wait, there was another Exorcist there?” Lefty put a hand on Righty’s shoulder. “A Fallen?”

“N-no.”

“Ah, then, yes, she would be far beyond my power to… save.” Prince Stolas bowed his head, truly contrite. “I’m dreadfully sorry, my dear.”

“But… Rin… she’s still there…” Righty looked between the three of them… but to no avail. “No…”

Lefty pulled her into a hug as she started to cry, and Tits joined them. For the first time since Falling, she truly feels like she’s in Hell.

((@lost-rin))

[askthefivefallen]

R: "The fuck!?" *gets sucked into the portal*

R: “Hey, Mr. Baal, you’re an Ars Goetia, right? I was told you might have an idea of how to get from here to Heaven. That something you can do?”

((@askthefivefallen))

No.

Be gone with you.