𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡 ♥︎

Chapter 77: Set Yourself Ablaze

"... Red Hood has another question..."

"... Lilith says to go ahead."

"... Sigh... 'Would you rather sit on a cake and eat a you know what, or sit on a you know what and eat a cake?'."

"Pfft... She says, 'After the years we've spent apart from one another, that's one of the first things you ask?'."

After a while of walking toward Nihilister's supposed lair - a half-crumbled volcano with staggering temperatures all throughout, Johan's managing of the duos had crumbled apart.

Now, he's the only one in the lead, and everyone is just going off on their own business with whoever they want. Abel is with Anis, Dorothy is with Harran, Neon is still with Noah... bickering as usual, and Y/n is with Rapi.

"What if it's Andy's?" Red Hood cackled within Rapi's mind. "She had the hots for that guy like no other."

"She hasn't changed a bit I can see..." Lilith rolls her eyes with a sigh, though, one of relaxed nature. Oddly soothing reuniting with a long lost friend.

"Is Red Hood always like this?" Y/n manages to ask, shaking his dead away from all the comments and remarks both people in his mind have been senselessly throwing out. "Or is it for the occasion?"

"You don't know half of it, Commander." Rapi sighed, caving her shoulders forward and closing her eyes.

But then, suddenly, she brightened up for a moment. "Can I ask Hare a question?"

"Shoot yourself in the foot." The officer shrugged, stretching his arms and humming a tune to himself. "You'd be lucky to get anything."

"... Hmm, she really does take after you."

"What was that?" He threw her a look and raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing." Rapi cleared her throat before coming in close, walking right next to the Commander. "So... Hare, how are you doing?"

"..." No response from the child whatsoever.

"Eughhh..." Y/n trails off for a bit. "She says she's doing fine, really. Watching cartoons, eating candy, you know, the kid st-"

"I did not say that." The child cuts him off with a heavy sigh. "Don't put words in my mouth that don't belong there."

"..." The Commander stood quiet for a while before shaking his head with a groan.

"That... wasn't what she said, correct?" Rapi put two and two together, looking distantly into Y/n's coloful eyes. "She's still refusing to talk to me?"

"She's mad at me, precisely." Y/n corrected her, scratching the back of his neck. "About me telling you about her without letting her knowing."

"Why didn't you ask her beforehand?" Rapi questioned, but the man shook his head.

"The answer would be a hard no, no matter the circumstance." With a sigh, he looked up at the sky and mumbled something to himself. "I don't know why but she wants to remain hidden..."

"...?" Rapi blinked as she registered his words and thought for a moment. Red Hood had zero issues with being recognized outside of her mind, but Rapi feared the response from others would be... well, she'd be looked as crazy if she told them.