Mono + Six Afterstory || Little Nightmares II

Nineteen

     As Pericia calmed down from her outburst, Mono and Six stared at her indifferently, then at each other with knowing glints in their eyes, as if they had already communicated their distrust towards the girl. Since she seemed defenseless in the moment, Ray, Sunny and Eliza walked away from her and over to join the other half of the kids, glancing behind themselves as they did. It appeared as though they needed to have a meeting.

     "What are we going to do about her?" Ray squatted down near Riley, putting a comforting hand on his back as he looked towards Six and Mono.

     His words incited some silence amongst them, mostly because everyone was looking at Six. They were expecting her to make the decision for them. When she noticed all of the eyes on her, she suddenly stood up, defying all expectations of her condition. "She's tried to kill me twice now. I don't trust her at all, but surprisingly I'm not that angry. I'd probably try to kill me too." She defended Perry partially, her tone-deaf humor making the air awkward. "Her mom is in the Pale City. We should reunite them. I'm being the bigger person here. Don't get used to it." After admitting her desire to help Pericia, she folded her arms over her chest carefully and waited for any input, but they all seemed unsure.

     The first person to speak up, surprisingly, was the girl in question, causing them all to look over at her and her pathetic posture. "Thank you..." She straightened up somewhat, but her expression was drained and emotionless as she approached them all. "I have something to say...something Veronica told me a long time ago."

     Six's eyes were glued to Perry; she briefly acknowledged Mono's tension beside her, but decided to take the lead for now. "Tell us." Her voice was soft, but in a way that typically was seen as a threat. Although intimidating, however, it was nothing in comparison to the distant blaring sound of a ship's horn. They all immediately put their focus on the horizon, and spotted the large vessel making its way towards them. It was a huge distraction, but a pleasant one nonetheless. "You guys think we'll be safe there?" She changed the subject, her eyes full of a newfound hope.

     Riley nodded almost immediately, which led the kids, including Six, to look at him curiously. "Anywhere is safer than here, now that The Lady is dead." He referenced an obscure knowledge, which was well-known amongst residents of The Maw, but not newcomers.

     "What? Why? I thought this place would be pretty safe now that she's not a threat." Mono questioned the boy with a puzzled expression, and Ray nodded along with his theory.

     "That's just the thing—Her power was actually a blessing in disguise. Veronica told me herself that her mother casted a spell to make the engine function. So now that she's gone, this place, and anything inside it, will be lost forever. It will sink eventually." Pericia brought attention back to herself with her explanation, though she was just as unfazed as before, desensitized even.

     "It's true. We're on a timer." Riley supported her words by expressing to them the new threat that loomed over their heads. "We have no other choice but to take refuge on that boat. We just have to be prepared for the worst." He magnified their reasoning, but it mostly left the kids in shock; this was a huge risk, after all.

     "Well, shit." Six blurted this out before she could even process any other emotion, but she regretted it soon after because of Mono's facepalm. "Sorry. It slipped out. This is a very bad situation. I may or may not be a little terrified right now, because I don't think I can run if I need to." She apologized urgently, holding her chest in a cradle of sorts because of the pain from her sharp exhale.

     Mono shook his head at her excuse for cursing (though it was pretty understandable), then staring into her eyes boldly. "I'll carry you if we need to run. Obviously." He confidently reassured her, which made a cheery grin sneak onto her face as they just looked at one another. "But seriously, how do you even know these words?" He finally asked what had been bothering him since the first time she cursed near him, and she snickered, clearly amused by the answer. Unfortunately, she wasn't smiling for long, because she took one look at Pericia's dull expression and seemed to restrain herself for some reason.