Memory Blooms

Hiss

[Warning for slight detailed descriptions of gore, blood, etc. Nothin too serious though]

"Snaaaaatch!!!!"

Snatcher startled, looking up from his book to see a very fast approaching little girl, quickly turning the small genuine smile that had initially formed into a grumble as he buried his face in his book.

"Geez kiddo, you're getting quick at these..." they mumbled, looking over the top of their book to watch Hat Kid as she excitedly bounded up onto the arm of the chair with practiced ease.

"Pfff please, killing fire spirits is nothing compared to the other stuff you've had me do."

"Fair, fair." He chuckled.

"So! Anything else need doin'?"

"Well...technically yes, but–" He booped her on the nose, making her giggle– "Those tasks aren't for you."

Hat stuck her tongue out at him, comfortably settling down on the arm as Snatcher resumed his reading and her thoughts wandering elsewhere.

She could probably guess that (Y/N) wasn't done with their contract yet. No way they'd be able to get a task like that done in the time that she could kill a few measly sprites. She pretty much speed-ran them, could've even been a new best time had she bothered to time herself. Darn, she'd have to ask Snatch to do that next time.

Her eyes drifted over to the Snatcher's book, a tiny smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. It was one of the new ones she had gotten them, a little murder-mystery novel. She could feel a slight wave of relief wash over her, Hat Kid didn't quite know what kinda stuff he liked to read, since–y'know–she'd only ever seen him read one book. That dumb "How to Kill Kids" book that she was she was pretty was only for show. So–! She just got him a whole ton of genres.

Not that she had a penchant for reading. Oh no not at all, it's just when she saw that empty bookshelf in his home, she had the bright idea of filling it up for him. Being contractually bound BFF's didn't just mean he had to promise not to kill her, Hat also had an end she had to fill (not that it bothered her any.) So, with some help from Cooking Cat she picked out a ton of new reading material for the grumpy-gus, and he seemed to take pretty well to it.

"Sooo..." She mused, lounging back and drawing a suspicious eye from Snatcher.

"Peach, huh?"

He scoffed, a light dusting of yellow adorning his cheeks. "Oh be quiet. It's none of your business anyway."

"I know! It's just–!"

"Just what?"

She paused, grinning smugly.

"You like them, don't you?"

He slammed his book shut, eyes wide and staring at her as if she had just claimed she was the new leader of the nyakuza, and the yellow "dusting" from before had totally gone into overdrive. The whole display absolutely sent Hat Kid, rolling back into a fit of laughter that almost made her lose balance and fall off the chair.

"Why you little brat!" Snatcher shouted with an irritated smile. He reached to grab her but missed just slightly as she hopped off the arm with a squeal of delight

Hat Kid booked it out of the tree, somersaulting over the vines that lead up to it and running out into the forest. The Snatcher not that far behind, his claws trailing with his signature blue flames.

Hat Kid glanced back as she ran, a smiling ecstatically until she slammed into something hard and brambly. Stumbling back onto the ground rubbing her cheek in pain. Long, purple vines had raised out of the ground directly in her path, surrounding her in a circle after she had taken notice of them, plunging her into that familiar purple-black void that she wasn't sure was real or some kind of mind trick. Either way, she was trapped.