"You don't need that Puppeteer" [OFF]

ashley.

"That's my name?"

It would take a while for him to get used to the name. He wasn't accustomed to someone wanting to give him a 'proper address'. He had been the entity known as The Batter for a while now. 'Ashley'. Zacharie had suggested it. Ashley was a fitting name. Strong, but not intimidating.

The Batter, Ashley. Someone gave him a name. He was... happy for it.

Now 'Ashley' was alone. Zacharie had left, apparently to do some important 'merchant chores'. Really a terrible choice of words. He laid silently on the floor, fiddling with his fingers. Ashley had made a bad habit of biting his nails when he was worried or upset. They were now short, unhealthily short. He used to have such great big claws, now barely reduced to nubs- torn apart. Ashley liked to twist them, bash them, try his best to snap them. His fingers were the most battered and bruised part of his body at this point.

That was his focus now. He could take his mind off of the loneliness just for a while. It was the best Ashley could do. Zacharie knew he hated being alone but he couldn't really help it sometimes. He'd tried getting him stress toys and things to entertain himself with during the hours he was gone. They didn't really work.

There was a shuffling outside. A wheeze. Ashley's head shot up, taken away from his practices. Startled. He peeked out the curtains of the tent.

He wanted to vomit.

A spectre. Such a big, looming spectre looking down at him.
A bat was grabbed, he shot out, whacking the damn thing with it. Blood splattering. Blood? Spectres could bleed? Perhaps just this on could. It was the first time he'd been able to actually fucking hit something in the past month or so. Purifying this damned spectre would prove to himself he was strong.
He was The Batter.

It was a sudden, violent outburst.

WHACK

He struck the thing in the head.

He smashed its face in.

He wouldn't stop beating it, feeling... guilt?

His body twitched.

No. It was a spectre, a disgusting and impure entity. No pity. Just destroy it. Break it.

Ashley threw up, coughing. Closing his eyes tight.
It wasn't a spectre. It was an Elsen.
The poor man didn't know the meaning of 'hallucination.'

Disgust.

The Elsen laid still, crumpled up on the floor, the poor thing completely disfigured at the mercy of the bat. It had burnt up, clothes stained, innocent body corrupted.
Realisation set in.

He'd slain an innocent.
His hand had corrupted. Blood, amongst other strange substances, coated his clothes- his bat, his body. Ashley bit at his fingers, not knowing what else to do but slip back into such a habit.

What would Zacharie think? He had SWORN it was a spectre. It had the face of death. Ashley hoped, like the spectre, the scenario he'd been put in wasn't real. He prayed for it. All he could do was stare and pity the poor thing. Pity himself too. Pathetic. The entire situation was pathetic, like him. He was pathetic. He shouldn't be crying over it- vomiting over it. The thing was only an Elsen. They're disposable.

'But it's another life.
It can think like I can.
It probably had aspirations,
Dreams,
Worth more than me.'

What was he supposed to do about the corpse? Leave it, waiting for Zacharie to return and treat him with scorn. Ruin everything.
He could hide it. Where?

It was a bad idea.

But it was ok now. It was done. Gone.
There was still blood on his hands.
It stayed that way.
He thought, maybe he deserved whatever harm may befall him now.
He was a monster. For him it was an easy reality to accept.

Ashley heard another, much more real noise.

*
**
*

"Why consult me?" Purred the Judge, interrupted from his meal of out of date cat food.
"Ah- I just needed to... talk to someone I guess?" Zacharie was sat beside him, gently petting the strange white cat. He had a love for cats and dear Pablo happened to be a usual customer of his- buying tons of his expired cat food. The cat gets food, he gets to pet the cat. It's a win-win deal.
"Go on."
"It's The Batter..."
"Hm...?"
"I gave him a name."

"..."

"What was this name?"
"Ashley."
"Ashley?"
"I looked at my wares, saw the Ashley bat and chose it."
"A powerful weapon?"
"My strongest bat."
"You're becoming attached aren't you?"
"Maybe."
"Why The Batter?"
"Do you judge me for it?"
"Hah. A little. I doubt he has the brain capacity to know what love is... However you do supply me with this delicious cat food, I will help in any way my friend."

It was a rather cold conversation.
"Will you help me, Pablo?"
"I advise against it, but I shall."

"Thank you."

When Zacharie returned he would be greeted with a horror show.