DYING MOURNINGS, original

twenty-one : bracket playoffs

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𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐎𝐍𝐄 : 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐓 

𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐒

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"I'll fucking kill you!" snarled Blondie, arms outstretched and trying desperately to race forward at the four men, but one more in particular. Monroe and Winker had to hold her back as she thrashed. She knew who they were the moment they walked down with Macabre. Maybe it was her witchy ancestry or because I'd mentioned it over text very subtly, who knows, but she was pissed.

Stone held his hands up, glancing towards his friends. "Which one of us does she wanna kill, man?"

"I never even met the chick," said West, stepping around them to grab a coffee from the table. Eva had made the coffee run this time, which meant we would get no donuts. "She's not mad at me."

"It's fucking you!" Blondie snapped, pointing one beautifully painted finger towards the only man I believed it could've been as I side stepped to grab my own coffee with a little chuckle. "You think just because they forgive you that I should too, but no!"

"Are you going to stop her?" asked Crow in my ear as he dropped some creamer into my coffee over my shoulder.

"God, no," I muttered with a smile. "He deserves it."

"You think because she brought you back that you're magically redeemed?!" chirped Blondie, shoving Monroe off her with surprising strength. "That because she chose to forgive you, which is a questionable decision on her part, that you'll be welcomed back with open arms?" She scoffed. "Someone give me a goddamn knife so I can carve your fucking eyes out!"

"Told you," muttered West, "that you'd still have an enemy or two."

Tobias scratched the back of his neck. "I don't remember you being this hostile."

"You're so freakin' lucky my friend's a good person or I'd–" She pressed her lips together. "Actually, I won't tell you what I'd do."

Winker actually laughed, shaking his head. "You're screwed, man."

I had a feeling whatever Blondie was holding back meant it would come back to hurt him when we began our small groups and sparring. With Eva, she'd want us going at each other with no remorse and at that thought, it was hard to hold back my smile. Tobias didn't know about the magic Blondie had been learning, he didn't know anything besides the fact that she was just a friend at a party not too long ago.

"So," I cleared my throat, changing the subject, "what's on the agenda today?"

Macabre set his coffee down, even he had a small smile threatening to peek through, and said, "Sparring techniques with knives. Eva has taken the opportunity to supply us all with one knife for this activity." He saw Winker's brows furrow. "And no, these will not be demon blades. These will cut and stab, but it won't expel a demon."

Eva began to hand out the knives, giving me a coy grin as she placed mine in my palm as she begun to explain the rules and expectations. "You'll each have two sparring partners. We say sparring lightly here, I'm expecting these will be brutal fights." She waved her own knife in the air. "One fight before dinner and one fight after. I had been thinking of making it a competition before–"