𝙏𝙃𝙐𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍 // 𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙚 𝙭 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩

// Change P.O.V //

You awoke with a wheeze.

The first thing in your eye-line was just the colour blue, and you briefly wondered if you'd finally managed to get yourself killed and you were now in whatever afterlife awaited.

A few more blinks and you realised, no, you were not dead. Intricate detailings and scratches on the cool blue colour allowed you to recognise that it was not the sky but, in fact, the ceiling of the icy cavern you had been in for what felt like days.

Slowly, you sat up, blinking a couple more times to gain your bearings. Neither Rogue nor Sting were around, which you cursed quietly. The walls weren't exactly the same as they had been before you'd fallen down into the ravine - the ice melded away into dark, stone bricks instead, like some kind of dungeon. That was a good bet of where you'd brought yourself.

You looked into your lap, facing your palms upwards. And then you realised.

The water had washed off the makeup covering the black sludge covering your body - or, at least, from what you could see, the foundation covering the markings on your arm. Your hand was totally black, and the markings crawled up your arm, pulsating slightly.

"Shit," you hissed, though as soon as the word left your lips, footsteps came rushing towards your direction - a couple, you deduced with your enhanced hearing.

Thinking quickly, you dunked back under into the icy depths, unable to recognise whether the approaching people were friend or foe.

"I swear I heard the voice of that Sabertooth bitch!"
"You're just hearing things, Slothe. I told you."
"Shut up, ugly."
"You shut up, double ugly!"

Though the voices were muffled from beneath the water, it didn't take a genius to work out who the two arguing were - Slothe and Merimange.

Once the man and his spidery companion had finished their childish quarrel and the footsteps faded back away, you decided it was safe to re-emerge from the water.

You took a long, deep breath as you broke the surface, only to come face-to-face with...

A wave of hot air rushed over you.

"Jackson!" you whispered, reaching out to rub the giant dog's snout. His tongue lolled out of his open maw as if he was smiling.

"D'you know where my friends are?" you hissed, hoping for an answer. Jackson only tilted his head.

"Never-mind, stupid question..." you pulled yourself out of the water fully, "come on. You coming with me?"

Having accepted your fate as fodder, one way or another, you started to plod along the same path you assumed Merimange and Slothe had taken. You couldn't scent either of them, however, from the sheer amount of saltwater you had accidentally inhaled.

"I knew I heard you, hot stuff!"

The brunet man whistled, sounding triumphant. Used to his antics, which seemed to be getting more and more frequent, you turned to him, unamused.

"Buzz off Slothe. You know why I'm here," you sighed.
"Is it for me?" he winked, stepping forwards and looming over you.
"Abso-fucking-lutely not," you said, "Rush is here... isn't he?"