Villainous (notes)

Scene study #1

The door clicks shut behind me, as I slink into my dark apartment. I'm still limping from my fight with Notion, but I should heal up quickly enough. At least, I hope so. Reaching for my bedroom door, I hear a sound. I pause, turning to face the couch, and stare into the gloom. "Isn't it a little strange that you're just sitting in the dark, doing nothing?"

"Isn't it a little strange that you're coming home so late, without even telling me?" Angelica counters, switching on the lamp. "And don't give me the whole, 'I had to work late'. I can see you're limping. So what happened?" She asks with an accusatory tone.

Didn't you see the news? I was the guy in the black spandex, you know, the one who got stabbed in the leg? I think. My mind attempts to formulate a plausible lie, as I lean against the kitchen counter. "I did have to work late. I was cleaning the taps and a shelf fell. A bottle shattered against my leg, and a glass shard ended up slicing through my jeans." Her face creases with concern. "It's not too bad, don't worry." I rush to say, trying to comfort her. "So you stayed up waiting for me?" I ask, desperate to change the subject.

"Yes, and I'm glad I did. If that's a cut from glass you should get it looked at. Luckily, you're best friends with an amazing medical student." She grins at me, then motions to the sofa. "Now sit."

"Oh, no, really, it's okay Angeli-"

"I said, sit. It's only going to get infected if you don't let me look at it." She glares at me with such force, that I sigh, sit and roll up my jeans cuff, exposing the long gash Notion left in my calf. It's still oozing blood. Angelica inhales sharply at the sight of my bloodied leg, and reaches for the first-aid kit.

"This is pretty bad..." She meets my eyes, her gaze full of concern, as she dresses the gash in my leg. "What happened Nyx? This is too deep for an accident, and too jagged to have been caused by glass. It's almost as if..." She trails of, that glances up sharply. "Did someone do this to you?"

I look away. "Just leave it, okay? It doesn't matter," I say, rolling down my jean cuff to hide my injury. I make a move to stand, but she catches my wrist.

"Nyx, if someone hurt you, you should go to the police. They could maybe track down who did it and..."

"Angie, it doesn't matter! You're just reading into things."

"Nyx, I know a stab wound when I see one. Now tell me who did this!" She's standing now, towering over me, her eyes pleading.

I stand too, silent, and turn to walk to my room. She shouldn't be prying into things that don't concern her. Especially not now, when I can feel my rage building in my chest, waiting for a chance to explode.

"Nyx, look at me!" She runs forwards, and blocks my way. "What's wrong with you? Recently you've been acting so...different. I'm not even sure who you are anymore!"

Enraged, I turn back to face her, glowering. My anger at today's events, at being stabbed, at losing, it all comes back, and before I know what I'm doing, I have Angelica pinned against the wall, my arm holding her firm. "I said...leave it."

She flinches at my tone, cold, and dangerous. "N-Nyx...What are you...?" Her voice shakes with fear, but I don't care. She shouldn't have kept prying. I study her face, watching the emotions flicker across it, transfixed. Fear, confusion, and...maybe something else. Feeling a strange urge to kiss her, I lean in, but stop. There's a single tear, dripping down her cheek. It drips onto my arm, and seemingly brings me back to myself. What am I doing?

I let go, pushing her away, and walk towards my door. It slams behind me, creating a barrier between us. I can hear her on the other side of the door, whispering quietly. "What happened to you, Nyx? What happened to my best friend? You're not the same anymore..."

My throat tightens up slightly, hearing this. I never knew anyone could make me feel this way, and all I want to do is comfort her, but I can't. I need to focus on being Karma right now, on defeating Notion, not on her.