Crowned

Arc 3, Chapter 85: Throwing Yourself Away.

//TW\\

DEATH

———

The cloth which had been the tent's entrance swung open, and Pillow peered down at the two. Paper and Balloon both flinched. Pillow saw Paper was attempting to escape and smiled, kicking him back in the cage. Paper yelped and fell back with a loud clank against the bottom of the metal plate which secured their place of confinement. Balloon rushed over to his aid. Pillow sighed and Leaned on her bat she had been clutching in her hands.

"Going somewhere?" She chimed, cooing nearly as she glared at Paper and Balloon with beady eyes. Her stance bold and confident. She had a smile that seemed cheery. So casual. Happy. In this sort of inhumane situation it came across as Sadism, though you couldn't catch it in her tone or face.

Paper put a protective hand up in-front of Balloon. And Balloon just scowled, a rumbling escaping the back of his throat. His wings shakily outstretched to a defensive position in an attempt to look larger.

Pillow shook her head, "I'm not scared of you..." She cooed with a smile, her eyes wide with glee. The bat lightly scraped against the ground. She didn't seem concerned at Balloon or Paper's aggression.

Balloon felt a sense of unease. That feeling from earlier... The dread and fear. It was crawling up his spine like an army of spiders. He took a shaky breath of unease. Paper grabbed at the bars charging up to the edge of them with a scowl. "What?! What do you want?! You already stopped me from getting out! GO AWAY!" He seethed, his copper fists clenched the bars, and his knuckles creaked.

"Aggressive much? You know, leaving you here while you JUST tried to escape would be a bad idea! So..." She shrugged, smiling down at Paper.

Paper growled and pushed away from the bars, looking back at Balloon apologetically. Balloon frowned and petted his shoulder comfortingly. He wished he could do more. He wished he could help— but alas. There they were. Powerless.

"I don't even get why you're so upset! I mean you're the first objects like this we've ever found! Isn't that an honour?" She grinned, a smile with closed eyes. "You're special!"

"You're special..."

"Everyone wants someone like you."

Balloon seemed physically disgusted and upset. Paper took notice of this and bore teeth. Paper let a hiss out through gritted teeth and charged at the bars, grasping at Pillow's bat before she could pull it away. Her eyes snapped open and she tried to pull it away, only aiding Paper as he was pulled further through the bars. The two scuffled for a while, before Pillow managed to free herself. Paper found one of his feet caught, and he tried to pull it out. Just as it got free he felt the bat collide with his head. Again. And Again.

Paper screeched as his head was forced to the side, his ankle being forced with in the bars, creating an unnatural angle—till the point a wet pop was heard followed by the crumple of his skull. He seemed to lay motionless. Twitching limply. Balloon screamed covering his mouth with a shaky palm as he looked at Paper's mangled form in the dirt. His eyes filled with tears... He tried to speak, but only a whimper came out.

Pillow panted, swinging the bloody bat back, and staggered back. She didn't seem angered, just... Blank. "That was... Unexpected...!" She murmured, then dragging the bat back to her front, looking down at Balloon, slowly giving a small smile. "We only ever really needed you... so I hope the others won't get mad." 

Balloon was completely appalled, to his knowledge, Paper had just been murdered in front of him! He could regenerate though—surely! He clutched his chest and breathed heavily with tears in his eyes. And he choked out a sob, as his wings folded around himself sorely. "G-god..." He whimpered. "Wh-what have you done...?" He cried, his face shifted to a terrified scowl.