This building was laughing at her.
Clean and freshly renovated facade, clear windows, front doors wide open. White paint mixing in with an unusual dash of color, red and gold decorations hanging from almost every surface capable of supporting them. Banners, balloons, little paper fans- every possible method of adding charm to the usually clinical building, making it more affable to the onlooker. It worked too well.
It wasn't even needed.
"Anne, there you are, goodness how much you've grown! Come give your uncle a hug!"
Her body took control, shambled over to accomplish the gesture. Face looked at the man, eyes did not perceive anything. She felt blood on her hands, her face, her whole body, but couldn't taste it, couldn't smell it, couldn't see it. It was there, she knew it was there- it was just hidden a bit further in. Mouth said something, she had no idea what- it was enough to keep him going.
"Been a while, eh? Freddy got his Zorua and suddenly chatting with him felt like talking to a brick wall, ha! Suppose I can't bemoan him too much- gotta start training them right away for the battles of his caliber, never any time to chit chat. Good to see you again Anne, glad to hear you still have that Clefairy of yours!"
Some more sounds- it was her voice but they weren't her words. She wasn't there, withdrawn in so need all she could hear was her own breathing.
"Yep, I got that Moon Stone you asked for! Lemme show you around first- not quite as special with an open day buuuuuut got a couple rooms in the back that aren't open even for this that we can take a look at!"
Anything but that.
They finally walked in, the atmosphere jubilant. Birthday wishes from all around, aimed at him- owner's birthday after all, gotta show off the successful enterprise! Clients from all over Unova and beyond, incredible quarter to quarter growth so far. High demand, low supply up until now, capturing a very impressive market niche!
There were two unmarked floors below them.
"Here, let's take a look at some of our most prodigious dams! All here in the open, they love people!"
They turned a couple corners, her feet wading through three inches of something she could not perceive all the while. There were four of them in a larger hall, surrounded by decorations of comfort and homeliness. Pillows, potted plants, individual caretakers in branded outfits, gloved hands administering their best impressions of affection to the stars of the display.
They forgot to wash a bloodstain out of one of the gloves. Nobody noticed.
Nobody wanted to notice.
"Here's Lady Huxley, proud mom to over thirteen eggs this year alone!"
The first one wasn't in the same room as them, not anymore. She stared them in the eyes, they didn't look back. They couldn't look back. Blue eyes, blurry, unfocused, absent. Their fur wasn't supposed to be this thin, black tufts on their chest so weathered they almost weren't there. There were cuff-shaped imprints on their arms, so recent most of the fur there had only recently started regrowing from bare skin.
Claws were supposed to be longer, so much longer, these were just stubs. Red hair got stroked with thick gloves, each motion so hesitant as to be utterly unconvincing. Wasn't meant to convince, was meant to reinforce, and reinforce it did. The most sustainable and ethical breeding facility in Unova! Breeding one of the most difficult mons to domesticate! Partnered with one of the most prestigious Gyms in the country!
Most, most, most.
There were three unmarked minivans out in the back.
"Next one's Lady Marissa! Her pups are particularly resilient, perfect for colder climates!"
None of them had their pearls, none of them looked like they ever had them. This one shuddered in the cold, just barely aware enough to be constantly glancing from side to side. One passerby to another, each of them posh and dignified in their own way.
Prestigious species befit only the most prestigious of potential buyers after all. They looked straight into her eyes, shaking into a brief blip of awareness for the first time in weeks.
They begged to die.
The next thing after, gloved hand reaching to lightly pat them on the back. IV bags, full of sedative solution, hidden underneath their hair. Gotta adjust the dose, just need a bit more. Only a bit, still far, far less than what they got on the regular- had to give off a look of consciousness after all.
Chains rung from immediately underneath them all. Everyone carried on.
"Pride of our facility, Lady Alexis! Her pups' fur is extra silken!"
They weren't supposed to be this thin. Everyone knew that Zoroarks were lanky, few ever had an opportunity to actually see a detailed photo of one. Even fewer wanted to see an anatomical diagram. This one was skin and bones, the later clearly visible in areas with spottier fur. Clipped ear, clearly from a botched first attempt at attaching an ear tag. They were numbered '54'.
This facility was supposed to house fourteen Zoroarks.
They kept their eyes closed, Anne couldn't bemoan them. Were they asleep, awake, neither? Were they even there anymore? When was the last time they were there? They won't ever be here again, she knew that well enough. It was for the best. She wondered what would happen if they were to snap for just an instant, enough for a single lunge, to tear one throat out. Would anyone here react? Would anyone here notice?
Those who did wouldn't care, those who cared weren't here. The few that were, that came to protest with their slogans and signs- didn't last more than five minutes. Stun Spore, Smokescreen, Thunder Wave- tools of mons, used by tools of law enforcement, used by tools of the capital. Enough legal roadblocks, enough that fulfilling them all becomes mathematically impossible, and every protest becomes an unlawful one. Begrudgingly permit them if they're harmless.
Put the boot down otherwise.
There was a promotional banner in the main hall for the anaesthetic coursing through their veins.
"And last but not least, Lady Clarice! A particu-"
They were dead.
Heap of fur, pearly skull peeking out from underneath. They were dead. Maggots writhing in the fur. They were dead. Out the one eye socket and into another. They were dead. Cloying reek filled her lungs. They were dead.
They were dead.
They were dead they were dead they were dead they were dead they were dead they were dead
"Say Anne, how's one of her pups sound for your sixteenth birthday?"
You killed them.
BIP-BIP-BI-BING!
The alarm clock's screech cut Anne off before she could even scream. Jump backwards with her entire body out of sheer shock.
BIP-BIP-BI-BING!
Her head smacked the night stand, dull pain erupting immediately. Too much, all too much, could only curl up and hold her head.
BIP-BIP-BI-BING!
Hot breaths, painful breaths. The sight of a dead body burned into her retina.
BIP-BIP-BI-BING!
It was never there, of course it was never there. It couldn't have been there. Nothing as overt.
BIP-BIP-BI-BING!
Just a downwards staircase in a building without a cellar.
BIP-BIP-BI-BING!
Just hundreds of eggs that couldn't be accounted for.
BIP-BIP-BI-BING!
Just hundreds of eggs that nobody wanted to account for.
BIP-BIP-click!
At last, the chaos stopped, the madness dying down breath by breath. Silence, sanity, the world around her crept back into existence. Primordial shapelessness giving way to reality.
A soft hand shook her shoulder.
"Anne, are you alright!?"
Back to reality, back to this body, bit by bit.
"Just a bad dream, I'm fine, I'm fine."
Pippi didn't buy it, Pippi never bought it. Immediately, her body pulled into a hug. Alarm clock barely in the corner of her vision.
5:01 PM.
The alarm goes off at six.
Focus on here, focus on now.
