“And so our heroes had made their way home. They each went to their rooms to rest after a long, arduous battle.”
“What are you saying?” It sounded like she was trying to do an epic narrator voice, but without the epicness.
“I’m fucking bored, and I’d rather not be interrogated. I think you guys should go sleep and let me narrate your dreams. That’d be better for both you and me. You should definitely rest. As for you, Clumsy, please tie me free when they’re all asleep so we can backstab them, then plot our revenge against Robo- ow, OW! Stop tightening the ropes!” Mara was tightening the ropes that kept the captured tied to a dinner table chair.
“Okay, those of you who are tired, feel free to go to your rooms.” Most of our group decided to call it a day, and the only ones left were Mara, Mori, Sharpshooter, Marx (Clumsy), and me.
“After this is done, Evelyn, I would like to discuss my payment. For now, I’d like to go shower.” Sharpshooter grabbed a towel and walked off.
“Let me just say that I’m sorry for swearing up a storm against you Mara, please forgive me.” Despite being tied to a chair, Marx (Loud) had somehow managed to grovel at Mara’s feet. “I’ll do whatever you say!”
“Anything?” Mara’s eyes lit up.
“Actually, not everything. I won’t kiss you. I only kiss myself.”
“I had other days, but now I want you to kiss me.” A devilish grin grew on Mara’s mouth.
“NOOOO!!!!” Mari was vehemently shaking her head.
“Pucker up, sugar.” Mara forcefully grabbed Mari’s head to stop her shaking and made a kissing face.
“Can you stop playing around with her, Mara?”
Mara looked at me with a disappointed face, “Fine then, mom.” She let go, conjured up a shadow chair and started playing with a shadow dagger.
“First things first, I’m going to name you.”
“I’ve been waiting for this. Name me Marx.”
“Hey mom, you should name her Mari.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s not Marx.”
“What do you think, Mori?”
“Mari is a cute name. You should go for it Eve.”
“Mari it is. Nice to meet you, Mari.”
“NOOOO!!!!” Nine golden threads came out, one attaching itself to the Mari tied in front of us, another to the clumsy Mari munching on a cookie next to us, and seven going out the window. Two of the threads, however, suddenly lost their golden glow and disappeared.
“Well… that creates to a lot of questions.” One of the broken threads was most likely the robotic Mari but who was the other broken thread? Also, where were the others connected to?
“Is it interrogation time?” Asked Mara in a curious tone.
“Yes, it is.”
“Can I be the bad cop?” She stood up enthusiastically.
“We’re not going to do a bad cop good cop gag.” I tried shutting the idea down. I didn’t really feel like dealing with Mara’s shenanigans.
“I’d be willing to be the good cop.”
“I always knew you were the cooler mom.” Mara put her arm over Mori’s shoulders.
“Well, I am Death. Death as anyone’s parent would automatically be the cooler one.” Mori seemed to puff out her chest in pride.
“Wait… Death? What the actual fuck have we gotten ourselves into Clumsy? Wait, Clumsy, where are you?!” Mari (Wild) was rocking wildly on the chair she was tied up to before falling over. As for the other Mari, she had sneaked into the kitchen. I knew because I heard a thud and a jar breaking from the kitchen’s direction. “You know, is it too late to say that the whole plot twist villain thing was a joke and that I was actually planning on switching sides from Demon’s organisation to your whole group?”
“That reminds me,” Mori summoned her scythe without grabbing it, which led to it dropping, the blade landing an inch away from Mari’s face. “I’d like to know more about this organisation Demon has going on.”
“I thought you were meant to be the good cop!”
“I thought I was going to be the bad cop.”
“Sorry, but we need answers quickly, and this is quicker than a bad cop good cop skit. We can do this some other time, honey.”
“Okay, that whole you being the cooler mom thing was meant to embarrass you, like what I do with mom. You don’t actually have to play along with it.”
“Eh, whatever. May being the only one is alright. For now.” I look at Mori, wondering what she’s going on about. “What? May is cute, and I’m starting to see how you’ve basically become a mom.”
“You know what, let us stop all this nonsense. I could just get her to answer the questions through Avatar Compliance. We don’t need to threaten her. Look at Mari. She’s foaming at the mouth. Literally.”
“Urhggh.” There was foam in Mari’s mouth. I didn’t even know that was possible.
“Actually… we’ll save this interrogation for later. For now, let’s go to my room Mori. Tell Sharpshooter we’ll waiting for her there Mara.”
“Aye aye, captain mother!”
“Huh. To think your school friend was the Grim Reaper. Mori, was it?”
“Yeah. It’s me.” Replied Mori, spoon in mouth and ice cream tub in hand. “So Ares is dead, so your job is technically done. My blind eye, I’ll give you, or whatever I said back then. I could get out the cloak and act melodramatically like I did back then if you want.”
“I’d prefer not. Your aura was a bit overwhelming that day, and I’d rather not experience that. As for the payment, I’ll have to decline.”
“Eh? Why?”
“I didn’t kill Ares myself. Thus I can’t accept the payment. As simple as that.”
“Eh, fair enough.”
“I will be willing to do another job for the same payment, however.”
“Ooh… greedy, aren’t ya?”
“I think I have an idea of a job that could warrant the payment, Sharpshooter.”
“What would it be, Evelyn?”
“Become my avatar again.”
Sharpshooter stood there for a second, contemplating. “Deal.” She offered her hand out for a handshake.
I shook her hand. “I thought you declined. Why didn’t you?”
“With Death’s blind eye, I can take any job I want. There would be no more danger to me. I’ve noticed how you’re treating us recently, and you’ll let me go out and do jobs, right?”
“Yeah, it’s what you’ve been doing nowadays, isn’t it?”
“Nightmare was right. You are nicer. I’m thinking of making this my base, is that alright?” I wonder what the avatars mean by nicer? I didn’t mistreat them before, as far as I can remember.
“We’ve got infinite rooms, so sure. What do you want your name to be?”
“Hmm… how about Jade? I like their colour.”
“Welcome to the family, Jade.” The familiar golden thread scene happened again, this time its target Jade.
“Welcome to the family. Are you really trying to not be their mom, Eve?” I had forgotten Mori was here. She had finished a tub of ice cream and was now eating a cookie. Where did she even get that from?
“Shut it, Mori. I just said that in the spur of the moment. As for you, Jade, you can go ask Mara to set up your room. She has some convenient magic.”
“I’ll get to that then. Do I have to refer to you as mother?”
“No no no no. You don’t have to do that.”
“Okay then.” Jade walked out, leaving just me and Mori in my room.
“So… wanna sleep?”
“Yeah.” I jumped into bed and in followed Mori. “Wait, why are you sleeping here?”
“Because May wanted to sleep all by herself tonight.”
“Don’t you have your own apartment?”
“Oh… I forgot about that.” She looked at her phone and checked some unseen messages. “I think I’ll sleep here. Can I?”
“Fine. I’m too tired to kick you out.” And thus, both of us went to sleep.
