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askcocoaandcoffee · 11 years ago

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Round 2 Part 6: Comfort

((Or "The one that made pauble and Jess yell at me a lot"

hrhrhr...

Hot Chocolate belongs to boredinsomniac Announcer belongs to demonica-kind Cocoa belongs to me

This time, some reference links might be in order. When I describe HCs memory, I'm referring to this. The thing in the jar came into Cocoas possession here.))

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“A-and I even forgot to apologize to Kiti...” Candy sobbed loudly while Hot Chocolate carefully pulled her away from a building that looked as if it was about to keel over. “I didn't even know I could be that horrible!”

“You aren't horrible.” He soothed, even though he wasn't sure if he got the full picture. His friend kept talking about 'her' without ever disclosing who 'she' was. “You're sad and angry and drunk, and all of that made you say some angry, sad, drunk things. I'm sure if you talk it out with them when you're so-ouf!” The short woman had collided with him to wrap her arms around his waist and nestle her wet face against his chest. Hot Chocolate blushed a little, hesitantly placing one of his hands on her back and one on her head. Of course they'd hugged before! Since Candy had arrived for the second installment of the tournament, she'd come out of her shell towards him a little, even going so far as taking on a kind of part time job in his café. And they'd hugged to say hello and goodbye after a certain point, and when business was slow, they'd even talked more often.

But he'd never seen her this vulnerable before, and there was something unusually intimate about her obviously seeking comfort and closeness from him. Not that he disliked that or anything...

“I just... wish I was more like you, H.C....” She sniffled. “You're always gentle, nice, and heroic. You even save my day when you're not on duty!” Oh. He felt his cheeks heat up even more. “If I was more like you, maybe I wouldn't be horrible even while being sad, angry and drunk.” Her hands bunched up his jacket as she clenched them into fists, and he heard her choking back more tears.

Memories rose up in his mind, about a woman in a lab coat screaming as she felt his powers, about fleeing people and about a blood-red laboratory floor, the liquid still boiling.

“That's not true.” He whispered and hugged her a bit more tightly. He wanted to add something, but he didn't know what.

She seemed to sense how serious those words were, because she raised her eyes to him with a concerned expression. It made him smile and he nudged her nose with his fingertip.

“See? I can see that you're worried about me, even though you're sad yourself. I'm pretty sure horrible people wouldn't even care about others if they weren't currently sad. You do though, you care about others. Even when you've hurt them yourself.” He sheepishly looked away from her eyes while he ruffled through her hair. “That sets you apart from horrible people.”

To his surprise, she closed her eyes and leaned into his palm a bit. To his even greater surprise, this gesture got him so flustered he nearly froze in the middle of his motion. But he managed to keep petting her head, even though it felt a bit stiff and stilted to him.

“Thank you.” She said after a bit of awkward silence. “You're not horrible, either.”

She paused, realised what she had just said, and let out a muffled laugh. It sounded relieved and happy enough to make him join in, and they continued on their way together. “Thank you, too – and you're welcome. If I can help you with anything... I'd be happy to.” Candy was quiet for a while after he said that, before the back of her hand brushed against his. “There'd be one thing I haven't tried yet that I wanted to do today...”, she mumbled, then looked up into the darkened sky. “Oh? Well, it's a bit late and you seem to need some sleep, but maybe we can do it tomorrow. What is it?” Now it was her turn to blush, and to look away from him. “I... wanted to ask if you... would like to go do a thing together...”

Aaaaaand he was back in flustertown.

“Uhm...” He replied, trying to stay calm. “What... kind of thing?” “Oh... uh...” Candy looked around in what seemed to be mild panic. For a moment Hot Chocolate wondered if she even had an answer to this question, then he saw her discovering a poster for an Announcement concerning the tournament on a wall. “To that!” She said, pointing at it. Realizing that she was just as clueless as him kind of gave him the guts to say: “Sure. I'd be happy to.” She seemed genuinely surprised about his answer, but then beamed. “... we can go there together after closing up the café.” “Yeah.”

That had used up about their last reserves of courage, and so they walked the rest of the way in not awkward, but comfortable silence.

Candy was so tired when they arrived at her home that she barely registered how Announcer and Hot Chocolate spoke to each other. Her best friend closed the door, peeled her out of her coat and picked her up to bring her to the bedroom. She mumbled a few apologies for being late, but he just brushed them off with some gentle words and tucked her in. As he left the room, she was already half-asleep, pulling the colorful stuffed giraffe into her arms that Kasimir had given her.

Kasimir...

She suddenly perked up, remembering something.

Slipping out of her bed, she made her way over to one of her closets, opening it to rummage around in the contents. When she finally emerged from the piles of clothing, she held a jar in her hands. It seemed to be filled with an ever-moving, gently glowing powder, sometimes enabling the onlooker to catch a glimpse of something shining even brighter somewhere within.

Walker's Christmas present.

Candy grasped the tag dangling from the closed lid, turning the side with text on it to herself.

'I will grant you one Wish.' It said.

She closed the cupboard again and went back to bed, snuggling her head into the crook of the giraffe's neck while watching the whisks of powder move and shift within the jar.

Maybe she could fix everything... if she did it right.

She thought about Bartender's hurt expression, about how Cole had at least seemed slightly startled and unhappy as well, and while she slowly drifted off to sleep, she became aware that she wasn't so sure about what the right thing was anymore.

You care about others. Even when you've hurt them yourself.

Hot Chocolate's words bled into her thoughts.

That sets you apart from horrible people.

That sets you apart from Coffee... right?

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#cocoa #hot chocolate #announcer #round 2 entry

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askcocoaandcoffee · 11 years ago

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Round 2 Part 5: Drinks

((Or "The one I will apologise to Bia for forever and ever".

This wasn't even planned. Cocoa just went and fucked shit up. I think she's in her rebellious teenager phase.

Flescher belongs to takedowndag Bartender belongs to captainbaddecisions Hot Chocolate belongs to boredinsomniac And Cocoa belongs to me))

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“Aaand basic'lly, I dunno how I'm gon' do thish yet! Have yoo seen Bels oppon'nt? He's JUST as bad!” Flescher rolled his eyes. The chubby chick had been talking pretty much nonstop ever since she'd started warming up to him in the headquarters. At first, he'd thought that he could use that to his advantage and played nice, trying to get his opponent to slip up, even inviting her to some drinks in the Quantum.

But by now, he was bored out of his skull, knew half of her life story but not one single helpful shred of information, had to listen to her whining about some weird headless guy and a stage magician or some shit both of whom she missed and had to watch how she gulped down one awful, prissy cocktail after another.

He could have had those!

No, worse, he felt like he should have had those, because he wasn't nearly drunk enough to put up with this bullshit yet, nor to at least find her hot enough to enjoy himself by pressing the mental mute button.

“Aaaye mean I thought about forffffffff-... forfeiting but I can't! With Kiti gone, are there even still heroes in there? I mean... nnno offense but... yoo dun seem like someone who could take on Greg or Bels! You're too...” Candy frowned as she tried to avoid saying something offensive. “Fluffeh!” Flescher made a face. Okay, she was right, he wouldn't stand a chance against someone like Bels or Greg – at least not in a fair fight. But it still felt like an insult, especially coming from a pudgy girl half his size.

He was about to suggest to her to just forfeit anyways when the Bartender stopped in front of them, smiling at Candy and apparently planning to strike up a conversation. Up until now, he had talked to a child that had arrived here shortly after them, but now – as Flescher noticed after checking the seat the little girl had sat on – said child was gone.

“Good evening, Miss Cane!” The Bartender greeted Candy with an attitude more cheerful than Flescher was used from him. At the same time, the party animal observed how Candys face scrunched up in an expression of displeasure he hadn't expected from her.

“No~!” She protested, raising her hands. “No! You don't-...” Taking a deep breath, she obviously tried to keep her tongue more under control for the next few words, so she would slur less. “I don't wanna talk about her tonight!” Oh~... this was about this demon thing she'd talked about, right? The one who gave her super powers? Hey, one second! Didn't she say just before that everyone hated her because of that thing? Why was the Bartender smiling then – correction: looking surprised and a bit sad at this announcement?

“Oh... alright...” He said, pulling Fleschers glass right out of his hand even though it wasn't even empty yet to begin cleaning it. Flescher was close to punching him right in the disappointed and slightly nervous face. “I just... have been wondering about her wellbeing, since she hasn't been here for a while...” The Bartender briefly glanced over to a book that stood between flasks and bottles on the shelf behind him, the cover showing the photo of what other people probably thought was nature being pretty (Flescher preferred strobe lights and scantily-clad dancing ladies as his view by far) and the words 'Fascinating Sights'. “Yeah, well... I don't know.” Candy replied with a surprisingly harsh tone. “Don't know, don't care! She's not in here anymore, maybe she hopped into the mirrors with Roamer or went away with that Italian guy she was flirting with-” She clasped her hands over her mouth as she became aware of Bartender's expression, obviously instantly regretting her words. Flescher felt as if he could hear the quiet echo of a laughter in the distance... or very close? Somehow all around him... “I-... I'm sorry, Bartender... I didn't mean it... I swear I don't know where she's gone, she's just not with me anymore.” She bit her lower lip.

Flescher stopped paying attention to her further stuttering and stammering. He had heard what he needed to: The magical girl had run out of magic, and therefore, even if she wasn't going to forfeit, their battle should be a piece of cake for him! Quite literally, too, as he mused while looking at her and licking his lips. Food was slowly becoming more scarce in the Abandoned City. A plump, big treat like Candy was just the right thing to get him through the next few days after the fight!

Why wait, actually? He could simply offer her to-

“... bring you home?”

Huh?

Flescher realized that someone new had approached them while he'd been busy fantasizing about a tasty, big meal. A young, bespectacled man with slightly messy, brown hair had put his hand on Candy's back, comforting her while her face was buried in her hands. The Bartender seemed to be suspiciously busy meddling with the bottles on the shelf behind the bar and Flescher could have sworn he heard some mumbling out of his direction despite the fact that the Bartenders mouth was closed – the lips pressed shut tightly, even.

“Sh, it's okay... you drank a bit too much, it'll be alright...” The soothing voice of the newcomer seemed to actually help calming the sobbing Candy down a little. He managed getting the attention of the Bartender for long enough to exchange a few words about the payment with him before he gently helped Candy off her seat and into her coat. She could barely stand straight, even though she seemed as if her mind had cleared up a bit thanks to her little shock about her own actions. For a moment Flescher considered intervening, and trying to score some alone time with the helpless snack, but then she dropped the guy's name:

“Th-thanks, Hot Chocolate...”

And remembering hushed stories about a superhero who could scorch his enemies with boiling hot liquids, Flescher decided to shut his mouth right after opening it.

Uh yeah, he'd rather wait until the official battle, when no big scary superheroes where there to protect his lunch.

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#round 2 entry #flescher #hot chocolate #bartender #cocoa

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askcocoaandcoffee · 11 years ago

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Round 2 Part 4: Results

((The true title of this part should be: "In which Empri is being a little shit who makes Cole uncomfortable as all heck while Walker is doing their best to do damage control - what do you mean I was supposed to write about Cocoa?"

Empri belongs to amespice Cole belongs to parzifalsjudgment Walker belongs to hoples Flescher belongs to takedowndag Cocoa belongs to me))

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The hall in the Tumblr Rumblr Headquarters where the results were to be displayed on a huge screen was surprisingly empty when Cocoa arrived. Only a handful of people were gathered in front of the screen, waiting for the commercials on it to change into the information they wanted to see. Most of them were taller than her, (especially that horned guy, Greg, who was currently in a heated dispute with Kitiara about whether or not he could stay in the front row of the little crowd and block everyone's view or not), so even when standing on her toes she could barely see anything. She did catch a glimpse of reddish-brown and white hair though and carefully made her way over to their position, from which she had a much better view.

“Hey, Cole! Hi, Walker!” The lawyer seemed a bit startled as she called out his name, and sheepishly let go of Walkers hand he'd been holding to instead fiddle with a pendant he was wearing. “Oh, hey... uhm... Cocoa?” He smiled, regaining his composure a little. “Good to see that you're up again.” Cocoa reacted to him with a little laugh and a wavy motion after she'd flashed the pouting Walker an apologetic smile. “Yeah, thank you! But you can just call me Candy now, my time as Cocoa is over.” Both Cole and Walker blinked surprisedly. “Is it because Coffee is not there?” Walker asked, getting them a very confused look from Cole. “What? How-” He began, but the deity cut him off with a gentle smile. “I have to guard The Halls from beings of magic. Couldn't do my job well without having senses for them, could I?” “Walker is right. Coffee is gone and my powers with her. From now on, I'm gonna lead a normal, happy life as Candy Cane.” Cole opened his mouth to reply again, but Walker nudged him and pointed at the screen, where the commercials made way for the first results now. Something Cocoa... no, Candy was very grateful for. He'd probably been about to ask more questions about the demon, and any question about her was at least one too many in Candy's book.

The first result was no surprise to Candy. Empri vs. Trick: Trick lost by forfeit. Candy threw a glance at the winner of that match, still wondering if she had anything to do with his disappearance. A few other matches came up that were not all that relevant to her, then Walker made a sad sound as their result was displayed.

“I still don't think that fight was fair.��, they sniffed, but then their face lit up a little as Cole's match came up. “The proud winner can probably comfort you.” Candy joked, giving the promptly flustered lawyer a little shove towards Walker, who wrapped their arms around him while giving him puppy eyes. “Yes. Please?”, they replied, and Cole blushed, choking out a rather unflattering noise.

Still grinning, Candy turned her gaze to the screen again – and froze.

Bels vs. Kasimir: Kasimir lost by death.

For a few moments, she felt as if someone had muted the world around her.

Death...?

But... she had seen him just a few weeks ago, shortly before his match!

They'd celebrated Christmas together! Together with the others...

The big plush giraffe he'd given her was still sitting on her bed.

He couldn't just be... gone.

Candy winced as something touched her shoulder. It was Cole's hand, giving her a little squeeze as she looked up to him. He seemed a bit pale himself, and his other arm was now wrapped around Walker, who seemed very shaken too.

“But how... ?” Walker was the first one to speak among them. “He just... he refused to die...” “Yeah, didn't keep him from getting eaten, apparently.” Empri cut in from Candy's other side, before noticing that she was standing right next to the woman she'd been asked uncomfortable questions by a week or two prior. “Or so I heard.” She added more quietly and blew some smoke into the other direction. “That Bels is said to have a rather mean appetite.” “Bels ate him? Is that even allowed?” Cole seemed to turn even paler than before. “I suddenly have very mixed feelings about this victory...” He mumbled. “Apparently.” Empri said, turning away and muttering something under her breath that Candy could have sworn was along the lines of 'And my life would be much easier if I had know that before.'

Feeling a bit nauseous, Candy turned back to the screen, noticing with relief that some of the other contestants she'd taken a liking to had a much less bleak fate, like Meg, Steve, Maddie and Sam. Especially Sam. She didn't think that the Bartender would have hurt the little girl, but still felt a bit relieved as she saw her standing in a corner, playing on Data without a care for Data's irritated attempts at getting her to look at the screen. Probably for the better, because apparently Kasimir's death was not the only one.

Eventually, the last results flickered away and instead, the new match-ups were published.

“Hygren, hm?” Cole apparently did his best to not think about what he'd just learned as he looked around for his future opponent. He relaxed a little as his eyes met those of the frog-like warrior. “Huh... he doesn't see too bad... and frogs only eat small stuff, right?” “You wish.” Empri gave him a sharp smile. “They gobble up whole mice. And anything else they can catch if they're hungry.” Candy heard the lawyer gulp audibly next to herself and Walker mumbling some unflattering things about Empri, then some soothing words to Cole, who whimpered something about this being the exact reason for which he had a bodyguard.

Her own name flickered over the screen, followed by one she hadn't heard before.

Flescher? Who was that?

The picture next to it showed a blue, fuzzy creature with sunglasses – or so. Candy wanted to scan the crowd for her opponent, but instead of the other contestants, a blindingly bright, yellow blazer blocked her view. She slowly raised her eyes to discover a toothy cheshire grin in a blue, furry face. It parted to make high-pitched, drawn-out sounds she only recognized as words after putting an active effort into it:

“So~ you must be Candy, then?”

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#look who stopped listing the cameos ahahaha #round 2 entry #cocoa #cole #walker #hall walker #empri

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askcocoaandcoffee · 11 years ago

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Round 2 Part 3: Forfeit

((Yes, I hear you and you are making a compelling argument, but have you considered that Announcer?

What? Oh, yeah, Cocoa is also in there somewhere I guess.

Announcer belongs to demonica-kind Cocoa belongs to me))

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Announcer woke up from the gentle touch of a small, soft hand caressing his cheek. He almost didn't dare to open his eyes right away, scared that he might only be imagining it and the illusion would fade if he blinked, but then he heard Cocoas voice. “Hey, sleepyhead. Time for breakfast.”

The very next moment, he pulled her into his arms, close to tears of relief. She gave a little, surprised squeak at the gesture, but then laughed – it sounded like music in his ears. “You're awake... You're back, oh God I was so worried...” “Yeah, I know. Earl Grey told me about what happened after I'd passed out.” She sheepishly cleared her throat. “After I almost threw him out because I thought he was a burglar...” Announcer chuckled and drew back from the hug a little to look at her face. Cocoa seemed surprisingly fine – her cheeks were rosy, her eyes clear, and nothing hinted at the feverish state she'd been in before anymore.

In fact, additionally to seeming fine physically, she had an unusually bright smile on her lips.

“How long have I been out?” He raised his eyes to the window of the living room. It was bright outside, and he was sure that he'd fallen asleep while the sky was darkening. “Almost a day? Sorry we didn't wake you up earlier, but you seemed so tired. Earl Grey told me that you were watching over me the entire time... you really needed some rest, didn't you?” “If I had known that you were awake, I'd have been top fit again in no time at all. I don't need much sleep.” He ruffled her hair instead of telling her that the worry had made him sicker than staying awake had. “Pfff, I'll never get how your weird Nouncerbody works!” With a giggle, she leaned into his palm, but not for long. “I made you something nice for breakfast, it's in the fridge. Just help yourself to whatever you want, you're probably starving!” Announcer looked at her surprised as she slipped off the sofa and went to the corridor. “Oh and I gave Earl Grey the rest of the day off! You've been keeping that poor guy busy for days on end, I figured he needed a break, too!” “Where are you going?” He got up to follow Cocoa, arriving just as she plucked her coat from the hook next to the door. “I heard that the results of the first Round are out, and I wanna see how my other friends did!” She beamed at him while she wrapped herself in the comfy thing to prepare for the cold winter air outside. “I thought we could maybe have a party later. Maybe tonight or tomorrow! We could celebrate victory with the winners, and make it a comfort party for the defeated people, and it'd be a nice way to announce my leaving the tournament...” He perked up as she said that.

“You're leaving the tournament?” “Yeah, I'll forfeit. Thanks for making my defeat a win, by the way. But there's no way I can- oh, whoops!” She giggled, slapping her hand against her forehead. “I completely forgot to tell you! Coffee seems gone!” Behind his shutter shades, Announcers eyes widened. “Gone?” “Yeah. I haven't felt or heard her since I woke up, and earlier I tried to transform when I tried to throw out Earl Grey and it didn't work.” Cocoa smiled and shrugged. “It usually always works, even when she's not paying attention and kind of retreating, so... whatever Pixie did to me on the battlefield, it might actually have cured me!”

Announcer just stared.

“Which means I can do all kinds of stuff now! I'm gonna throw a party with all my friends! I'm gonna apologize to Kiti for the ugly things Coffee said to her! I...” She blushed, but still seemed radiant with joy. “Maybe I can even ask Hot Chocolate out on a date!” “But... where did she go?” That question got Cocoa to frown briefly before she shrugged. “Don't know, don't care. She can work as cockroach at McDonald's for all I care.” Wrapping her arms around her friend, Cocoa returned to smiling, nuzzling his chest. “That probably sounds bitter but... I'm just happy to be free. To have my head and body all to myself. I can make friends now, and keep them, and maybe I don't have to be afraid of blackouts anymore at all.” He returned the hug, petting her head. Granted, he could understand that... it wasn't as if he particularly liked Coffee, either, right? They always ended up bickering and fighting. Come to think of it, why had Coffee allowed him close? She had kept everyone else away from Cocoa, save for maybe Empri, Roamer and Cole, and those three had only been allowed to be near her because Coffee had some kind of meaningful connection to them. But he had pretty much been Cocoas platonic domestic life partner for the past months and she'd never attempted to push him away much.

“So yeah. See you in a bit, have a nice breakfast!” Cocoa snapped Announcer out of his thoughts. “Uh... yeah, okay. Be careful, the streets are icy... or were when I last looked outside which was like two days ago I guess.” She laughed about that, and it made him smile as well. At least she was happy. And it was a comforting thought that she'd leave the tournament. She'd be safe. And maybe he could actually have a bit of a normal life outside of this mess along with her.

When she slipped out of the door, waving at him a last time, he felt much calmer. Maybe this wasn't so bad. Maybe he'd been wrong about whoever was behind the elixir and things were looking up for them now.

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#announcer #cocoa #round 2 entry

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askcocoaandcoffee · 11 years ago

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Happy Holidays

Soft knock came and outside stood awkward looking Walker with small present wrapped in light blue wrapping paper and bound with light brown ribbon. Deity sheepishly smiled, blushing little bit as something or somebody pushed them from behind.

“Hello, Cocoa. I… I was told that today is some sort of holiday. So… I bought you this.” Stretching their hands out with small present, Guide peeked from behind Walker, holding up his notepad.

‘Happy holidays. And excuse this fool.’

Even he bought Cocoa small present, giving her snow globe with moving figures inside. They were ice skating.

From Walker Cocoa get jar full of glowing stardust hiding star. Note attached to it.

‘I will grant you one wish.’

((Again, I will later address this more properly. But it is relevant for my entry, so it felt important to publish it now.))

#Cocoa #submission #walker

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askcocoaandcoffee · 11 years ago

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Better late than never...! It took him like forever to pick something nice from his wardobe, but in the end, well - he looks gorgeous like always. Of course he does. Kinda on the last minute the dullahan arrives at the magical girl's place, wearing a yellow smoking, a misshapen SOMETHING wrapped in excitingly patterned paper tucked under his arm. He chose one of his favorite giraffes, especially for Cocoa. Hopefully she'll liek the little fellow... - Kasimir

((I will later address this more properly, but this will actually be relevant to my entry, so~...))

#kasimir #cocoa #Anonymous #Chen answers

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askcocoaandcoffee · 11 years ago

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Round 2 Part 2: Help

((Walker and Roamer belong to hoples Darren, Simon and Kitiara belong to jestershark Tybalt belongs to parzifalsjudgment Bartender belongs to captainbaddecisions Empri belongs to amespice And Theo, Coffee and Cocoa belong to me))

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Coffee’s screams were loud and violent enough to shake the entirety of Cocoas mindscape as she let them out. The lights of the elixir Pixie had forced into their body tore through her barriers effortlessly, whipping her soul and trying to wrap around its many limbs. Every single touch of them burned her worse than holy water and cold iron ever had, yet she kept moving, kept fleeing and dodging, only taking hits when she had to shield the unconscious soul of Cocoa from them that she held pressed closely to herself.

But her motions began to slow down by now, her mind exhausted from the long battle. And the light illuminated more and more of Cocoas mindscape – there was not much left to grant her shelter and safety. The elixir had pierced most of their shared memories and was coursing through Cocoas body, mingled with her blood. There was no corner left that Coffee felt safe in.

It didn't help that here, unrestrained by the body of her host, her old senses returned with much more precision, unveiling her possible fates. Usually, this meant hearing the cries of many potential future selves that had failed, and the whispered advice of those who hadn't. This time, no single tread of fate that led into her future seemed to lead to freedom.

She was doomed. She was alone. She, who once had bent fate to her whim when she was roaming free in her own body, was now completely helpless against her inevitable, destined defeat.

And yet, when the lights hit her hard, sending her to her many knees and circling her to prepare for a last attack, she still cried out for help.

As the lights charged, she lowered her eyes and curled up around Cocoa, awaiting the impact of the seal.

“Do my ears betray me? Did the ancient, cocky gestalt-daemon-fae-thing just openly call out for help?”

Coffee raised her head, trembling from the fear she had just felt. Two familiar figures towered over her – young men, one with dark hair, skin and eyes and an impish grin, the other with blond, longer hair, strands of which kept obscuring the view of his right eye. With his bright skin, slimmer figure and deceivingly gentle expression, he made for an interesting contrast to his companion.

“I do think so, babe. What a lucky day for the gestalt-daemon-fae-thing, huh?” The black-haired man said. “... you.”, Coffee said weakly, although her tone still managed to get across a strange mix of disappointment, irritation and surprise. She knew these men – last time she'd seen them, they'd been chastising her for keeping Kitiara at arm’s length from Cocoa. Ironically despite the fact that they usually seemed to oppose her? Humans, even magical ones, were so confusing... What were they doing here? “Us.”, the stockier man confirmed. Coffee tried to recall his name. Simon? And the blond one was called Darren, if she remembered right... Speaking of which. “You don't seem as happy to see us as you should be.” Darren remarked with an amused smile and raised eyebrow. He briefly gestured behind himself, guiding Coffee’s attention to a barrier made from something like swirling smoke. The lights pressed against it, getting entangled in the wisps, but never making it through to her. The sight humbled her and she lowered her head again in an implied bowing gesture. “That is true. My apologies.” she replied quietly. “Apologies?” Simon gasped dramatically and clasped his hand over his chest as if to indicate shock. “I'm not sure if my heart can take all this unexpected behavior from you, Coffee!” “Uh-huh. It's actually starting to creep me out, too.” Darren joined in, albeit with a more genuinely uncomfortable expression. “So be it.” Coffee looked away, unwilling to put up with their jokes and teasing in her current state. “If I have to swallow my pride to survive, that is what I will do.” “Isn't that biting off a bit more than you can chew? Like... literally?” Darren remarked quickly, prompting a snort and badly muffled laughter from Simon. It cost Coffee a lot of restraint to refrain from dignifying this with an answer and to change the topic instead.

“How long will the barrier hold?” she asked, watching fists made of light crashing into the smoke. “Long enough for a few more zany jokes.” Coffee turned her head to Darren after he'd said that and silently stared at him as Simon leaned over to whisper theatrically: “Wow... you can actually pinpoint the exact moment when she chokes back a sassy comment!” “What do I have to do in order for you to save me?” No, she would not lose her cool. “That's the good news!” Darren cheered, “We'll do it for free!” His wide smile turned into a slightly more serious expression. “We saw the guy behind your little problem and had a sneak peek at what he's planning to do...” “... and it just so happens to be even less fun than you. Which should clue you in on just how awful it is,” Simon chimed in, blinking in surprise as Coffee didn't even put in the effort to glare at him this time. Instead, she seemed distraught.

“... Theophrastus...” she said, more to herself than to them. Her tone made the men look at each other in a flash of sympathy with her. “You two go way back, hm? He seemed to really hate you.” Simon briefly puffed up his cheeks as Darren shoved an elbow into his side for that insensitive comment. “He does.” Coffee recalled the moments in which she first saw hatred in his eyes where there had been affection before. It took her all she had to not curl up at the memory, but she was used to hiding weakness, so she raised her head again. “Your wording implied that there would be bad news as well.” Her words snapped the men out of their thoughts. “Oh... yeah, about that...” Darren began, shuffling uncomfortably. “We can only help one of you.” Simon added, gesturing to the resting soul in Coffees arms. “There's no way we can cancel out this seal in its entirety, we could only keep one of you away from it until it's done sealing the other.”

Coffee fell silent again, looking down at the young woman in her arms. “This day is full of miracles. She actually considers saving Cocoa!” Darren said with such a convincing stunned tone that it was hard to tell if he really was exclusively joking or if a bit of genuine wonder had gripped him. “That's not why-”, Coffee began, but Simon interrupted her, the impish grin back on his features. “Now I'm curious! Let's see what makes you hesitate!” Coffee wanted to protest, but the men moved too quickly for her. She could barely drop Cocoas soul before they sent another ray of light towards her (she was so fed up with light by now, a month in a perfectly dark cave seemed like an ideal vacation to her...) and it broke up into several colored ones as it hit her as if she was a prism. Each one of the colored rays traveled to another spot within the barrier, taking on another form there until the shapes they'd turned into formed half a circle around Coffee.

She didn't need to look at them to know what they were. It sufficed to see Darrens and Simons eyes widen in confusion.

“Huh...?” Simon voiced his thoughts first. “Well... that was unexpected.” Darren confirmed. They split up to approach the illusions they'd created from opposite ends. “No...” Coffees voice almost broke under the weight of her anger. “NO! Reverse this witchery AT ONCE!” She wanted to shove them away from the reflections of her mind, but the long battle had worn her out too much. Her legs gave out under her before she could reach either one of them. “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO LOOK INTO MY SOUL!” She howled with all the energy she had left, unable to stop Simon from resting his hand on top of the big mirror he approached first. It showed all of their reflections, but behind them, well-visible, a being that looked like it was made from a pitch-black, oily liquid rested against the glass from the inside. It's eyes were little more than empty holes in the darkness of it's shape, but still it was obvious that their expression was tired and scared. “Isn't that... Roamer?” Simon leaned in to the mirror a little to get a better look. “Yeah, it is! Huh, I guess that makes sense – Roamer seems to be to Walker what you are to Cocoa.” He poked the glass with his index finger. “I guess it was only a question of time until you'd hit it off as evil villain besties...” Coffee could do nothing but groan weakly while he moved on to a grandfather clock, the figure of a man with tan, scarred skin and dark but greying hair crammed inside. “And that is...?” “I think his name's Tybalt.” Darren helped while playing with the shutter shades of an illusion of Announcer. “You know. That one dude following the timelawyer around everywhere.” “Oh~, right...” Simon tilted his head. “That almost explains why he's in a clock, too.” He moved on to the huge bottle that was next in line, a more than familiar figure chained to the cork that sealed it on the inside. “Is this some kind of modern art? Or symbolic shit?” His voice died down to displeased mumbling. “I'm bad with symbolic shit...” “They are caged...” Coffee finally spoke up, seeing as her hissing didn't really keep the men from exploring her thoughts anyways. “Walker has sealed Roamer within the reflections of this world. Bartender may not admit it openly, but the Quantum has him shackled as it's slave. And Tybalt...” She couldn't bear to look at even the illusion. “Tybalt is a fool for loving one who plays with time and one who does so with fate. One day, he will suffer the consequences for that, getting entangled in the web woven as a result...”

“I literally understood like 3 words of that speech.” Simon replied, and this time Coffee was comforted by the fact that Darren confirmed her exasperated sigh with at least a little eyeroll. “But I'm pretty sure those three words summed up the rest!” he added in his defense, glaring at his blond boyfriend who just stuck out his tongue with a smile. “So all of them are imprisoned in one way or another. What's it to you? Don't tell me you've suddenly started to care about anyone else’s freedom than your ow-” His face fell as his eyes met Coffee's.

“... oh.” he quietly said.

“Either nobody knows, or nobody cares.” she mumbled. “Just like with me. And yet... they have shown concern, consideration... affection even for me and my feelings. Even if I did not appreciate them as much as I do... I owe it to them. To be the one who cares, and who fights for them.” “That sounds almost... heroic.” Coffee looked back to Darren as he said that, poking the shape of a Cocoa that held Announcers hand. “Is that why she's here, too? Because you're actually starting to understand where she's coming from?” “No... they are here because they could be free and happy without me.” Coffee replied, which made Darren frown. “Seriously? You've been berating, isolating and abusing this girl for most of her life and now you suddenly act as if you give a shit about her?” “But I do. I just... wanted to be free. Weakening her spirit was the only way to achieve that.” “Thaaaat-”, Simon began, but this time it was Coffee who interrupted him. “-is no excuse, I know. I never said it was. I would never act as if I had not committed some horrible, ruthless acts. All I say is that this does not mean I do not care about my victims... there is no way of two souls being entangled this closely without gaining at least some emotional intimacy as well.” She looked at the unconscious soul of Cocoa, still lying next to her. “To set things into perspective... consider that I am sealed within her body, not her soul. And that her death would not have killed me. There are countless futures, pasts and presents in which I am alive within a dead body that I can never leave, experiencing every moment of the decay. I see and feel them all. Even if I wasted her entire life, since she can move on without me, I feel that her pain still pales compared to the agony I hear my alternate selves cry about.”

Darren looked at the figures next to him. Altogether, there were three on this side, too: Cocoa, Announcer and a man with white, wavy hair and violet eyes, the only one of the figures that had a smile on their features and a serene one at that. Theophrastus.

Coffee was probably too proud to openly say it, but the implication that still, she would rather suffer this fate herself that subject Cocoa to it and Announcer to it's consequences still hung in the room clearly enough for them all to understand it.

“Theophrastus needs to be stopped. Announcer and Cocoa need to be together. Roamer, Tybalt and Bartender need to be free.” Coffee suddenly mumbled. “Those shall be my ends. I shall be no less ruthless about the means than I have been before.” Despite feeling as weak as she did, she lifted up Cocoas soul and held it out to the men, who looked at it with clear distress.

“Take her.” she said firmly. They looked at each other, reluctant to follow her request. “You think she'll manage to pull off all of that defeating and saving for you?” Simon carefully asked. “Without your powers, no less...” Darren added. “Her heart belongs to the helpless and caged. She will fight for them, and she will have no need for me.” She made a little, impatient motion with her claws while she looked away. “She never did. I made her think that she did, for if I had not, she would have won our struggle a long time ago. If you help her to unearth her memories, she shall soon be able to return to her position as a savior again.” Coffee paused briefly. “I believe in her abilities.”

“You're so fucking creepy when you're nice.” Simon mumbled. Darren nodded curtly , but it wasn't clear if that was dedicated to Simon’s words or as an emphasis of what he himself would say next. “Sure, we can try to do that for ya.” He was the one who took Cocoa, Simon giving him a short glance filled with mixed feelings, but saying nothing about it.

“You know... we should have had this conversation way earlier.” Darren smiled at the bug-like creature in front of him. “Yeah.” Simon added. “Maybe we could have been friends.” “Fabulous apparent-villain friends.” “Definitely more fabulous than the rest of your weird posse.” “Except maybe for Empri. Gurl's got class.”

Even though Coffee’s face did not allow for a big range of expressions, she knew that they could see how comforted she felt by their words. The illusions around them flickered and vanished as Darren cleared his throat, awkwardly trying to think of a good way of saying goodbye to someone who would be motionlessly imprisoned in an aging and eventually dying body forever.

“Take care.” was the best he could come up with. “Yeah... bye, Coffee.” At least Simon wasn't better at this than him. “Farewell.” Coffee lowered her head again in another little bow. “And thank you.”

They watched from the shrunk sphere of their barrier as the lights smashed into Coffee’s soul, seemingly trying to tear it apart before they enveloped it. It was over quickly, but that was exactly what left lumps in their throats as the lights dimmed, building a hard shell around the shape of the demoness.

“I guess that's that...” Simon said sadly. He already regretted all the bickering he would never have with Coffee. Darren didn't even feel capable of commenting on all of this further. Instead, he gently brushed one of the chocolatey-brown curls out of Cocoas face. “Rise and shine.” he whispered.

And so Cocoa did, unaware of the invisible somethings that left her body with her first yawn.

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#round 2 entry #cocoa #coffee #darren #simon #the others are more mentioned/make cameos than being protags here sorry

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