Ballad of Flowers

Chapter 24

(Author's note: I made sure that I censored most of the curse words that Magma says, considering SOME people have a grudge against seeing those words in my story. Just keep in mind that she has quite the sailor's mouth.)

              The door swung open, Snow yelping and burying herself in Tulip's jacket. Tulip herself was trembling as Magma glared out at Alex. "What the <****> do you want?" He flinched slightly, nervously clearing his throat. "H-Hey! I was just passing through, and Tulip over there said I should go around and meet everyone!" Tulip grunted, not looking forward to having to speak to Magma. Past the cherry red Rainwing, he saw a practically mutilated punching bag that had fallen off it's chain, Magma's knuckles wrapped tightly in athletic tape.

             Magma begrudgingly let them in, mumbling beneath her breath as she sat down on her couch. "S-So uhmmm... How's it bee-" "Shut up you <******> nerd." She sneered, her intense green eyes boring into Alex's soul as he uncomfortably squirmed. "W-We should g-get going, right Snow?" The sight of Tulip afraid made Snow grip onto her stomach in terror, whimpering and whining as she tried to distance herself from the situation. Magma shouted at her as well, molten fury flowing in her eyes. "Shut up Snow, nobody loves you <*******> freak!" Snow bolted out the door, running as fast as her legs could carry her. "I hope you're happy, psycho!" Tulip practically screams, dashing after Snow with tears in her eyes...

             Alex awkwardly lingers on the couch as Magma stares at the wall. He was a bit confused to see the glimmer of a tear in her eye as she tried to hide the light blue spotting onto her scales. "... Are you okay?" She snaps at him, a tear dripping down her cheek. "Shut up! I'm f-fine!" Her voice wavered as more tears dripped down her face. Magma lashes out with her claws, slashing his chest as he flinches. She barely caught his flesh, still drawing blood. He hugged her tightly, ignoring the stinging from the scratch and just focusing on helping Magma. She tried to muffle her sobs in her shirt sleeve, failing to as she pressed her head into Alex's neck fluff. He coaxed her quietly, stroking the back of her head gently. They sat like this for a while, before Magma was calm enough to talk. "Is it okay if I ask what's wrong?" She sniffles, wiping her eyes. "... Nobody likes me... I've been alone ever since Tangerine died, because she was the only one that made me feel loved... Everyone else hates my guts, even Prism..." He hated to see people suffer like this, whimpering softly before pressing on. "Is there anyone you like? Anyone you can trust?" She blushed, whispering an inaudible answer. "Sorry, I didn't hear you..." "... L-Lust..." Magma turned lime green, her face bright red as she looked away. "Hey, don't worry! I'm not gonna judge you for liking her... I haven't met this elusive 'Lust' that everyone talks about, and all I've heard is bad things, but I think that she might be just like you..." She sighed. "I think you've put up a wall to deal with your emotions, being generally angry at everything... Maybe you should go talk to Lust..." Magma starts to mildly panic, her eyes widening as she nervously chuckled. "We probably s-shouldn't bother her, she's probably really b-busy-" "You need to say something Magma... This isn't a healthy lifestyle..."

             They stood outside the path that led through the forest to Lust's house, Magma nervously twiddling her thumbs. He noticed a red line of paint drawn in the grass a few feet from where he stood. "What's this?" He asked while stepping over it. She quickly tugged him back over, shuddering. He saw a slight glimmer show in the grass closer to the house. "Magma, what's that?" She sighed in response, looking annoyed. "Well, we can't run very clearly now... Just run really fast, and make sure nothing grabs you..." "Wha-" Magma grabbed his arm tightly before sprinting towards the house. A few strange tentacles pursuit them both as they dash towards the door. One catches up and slithers around Alex's leg, making him yelp and shake it loose. They barely make it into the door, Magma tripping near the end.

             Lust was unsurprisingly dressed in rather skimpy clothes, a bit too revealing as Alex shielded his eyes. She was a light maroon version of Orchid, eyes a swelling orange and yellow. "Say dear, why look away?~" "I have a girlfriend weirdo..." He mumbled, continuing to look away while blushing. A few more tentacles slithered up to him as he softly growled, hopping away from them. "They won't hurt you dear, they just want to play~" Lust giggles, sitting down on a nearby couch as a tendril handed her the equivalent of wine in a tall glass. "You're 19, aren't you?" She scoffs. "Does that really matter? It's not like there's many bad choices to make at this point..." "W-Well... Magma and I came here so that Magma could tell you something, right?" She chuckles softly, finding this amusing. "Really?~ Magma of all people wants to come talk to me? You're joking, right?" He growls a bit louder before persisting. "She's a person too, for all you know she's really nice, but just shuts people out!" "That sounds oddly specific..." Magma was tearing up before bursting out. "I have feelings for you Lust! I've had them for a really long time, and I've never been able to tell you!" "Let me guess, because I'm a literal Succubus, and have a giant tentacle monster?" "N-No, because... because..." She sighed and a few tears rolled down her cheeks. "It's because I saw what you had to endure... I saw what you were before Tulip made you that... I know how it feels to hide your real feelings... To put up a shell of anger, or a fake personality to make yourself feel confident..." Lust looked regretful for teasing her earlier, expression much less giddy and tone much less elegant. "... Really?"