Inked Souls - A BATIM Fanfiction

Chapter 11

Kat filmsily grasped her arm. A bandage had been sloppily applied to her arm, seemingly done by Boreo who was throwing stuff in and out of a toolkit. Kat got up and walked clumsily to the door, still slightly dizzy. However, Boreo blocked her path, leaning up against the exit.

"Ink. That was what you said. You call him Ink?" Boreo questioned, harshness spiking in her voice as Kat stumbled back. "Ink... yeah. I.B. He wouldn't tell me his name, so I just call him Ink Bottle. He's been, well I've been helping him get this sort of mask. I'm not sure what it is or why he wants it, but his mental health is concerning. I wonder if I can find the hole I fell from and get him help." Kat rambled on and on, Boreo's ears twitching with annoyance.

"Murderer."

"Excuse me?"

"He's a murderer. Why do you trust him so easily? He could've killed you at any second. You truly are pathetic. How can you trust someone so easily, not knowing that one day they might involve you in some illegal scheme and leave you nothing but a book of their life to remember them by? What is wrong with you?!"

Kat collapsed to the floor, staring weakly at Boreo. She began to feel dizzy again. She placed both her hands firmly on the wooden floor in front of her to regain focus, but quickly retreated them. Her hands were stained with ink. Avoiding Boreo's question, she questioned Boreo's existence. "You're made of ink? Your 'fur' seems so blob like and goopy. Will you last forever too?"

Boreo blinked. Where were all the questions coming from? Hesitant, she gently touched her arm. Kat was right, her fur was goopy. It didn't feel like ink, though. Quickly comparing her own texture to Kat's, she concluded she certainly wasn't naturally made. Duh. It was weird, though. Boreo didn't remember having human skin before. She was intrigued by one thing, though.

"Ink isn't forever. You have it on your hands now- just wash it off, dummy. Although, I guess it could, considering the only water I've seen in here is in the bathrooms." Controversy was actually a topic Boreo enjoyed. Something about debating weirdly soothed her. Being a lawyer could be cool, but she didn't think a cartoon ink wolf would be accepted into a judicial system. "Who told you that it was forever?"

"I.B," Kat responded, nearly immediately. "Like I told you, he chugs the 'forever' ink like a stereotypical Netflix teenager does to drugs." Kat shrugged, and was quickly met with a response. "Of course he said that-" Boreo muttered through gritted teeth. "I mean, it could, but that's just dumb. Nothing lasts forever. It's like the law of life."

"I guess I'm starting to believe anything at this point."

"You're right, though."

"Hm?"

"About him needing help. 'Ink Bottle', whatever you call him."

"What's his real name then?"

Boreo scratched the top of her head, as if trying to remember. "I don't exactly remember. But he's part of a bad, bad family, I know." Kat was puzzled. "Is he a Drew? He said he worked for Joey, though. I don't know how that'd work."

Boreo sighed. "No, no. Much worse. At first, I loved Mr. Drew. Gave us women a job, a family here at the studio." Kat could see Boreo's fists clenching.

"It pains me to even say it, after all he's done, but alas. He's a Lawrence."