a catch-all full of clowns

[cupidsammo]

Comments

[gutterbound]

[WELL SOMEONE HAS TO BE!!!!!!!!!!!! no jk he is not ready to be a parent.]

That's fair. Mine too.

[He blows out a tense breath of air and feels a bit of sweat prickle on his forehead. His body is for sure working overtime even just sitting down, but his mind is much too wired to conk out.

There's this little nugget over here, for one. Can't leave a lady in the lurch.]

Did you want to talk about it? The news?

[cupidsammo]

[ There's an uncertain hum; Koharu isn't sure she has a lot to say, much like last time, aside from a myriad of questions no one can answer. However, there is one thing. ]

They were both with us last night.

[gutterbound]

Both? Adolphe and Brimstone?

[cupidsammo]

Yeah. I don't really know how none of us noticed what was happening to either of them.

[gutterbound]

I think that's by design, kiddo. Whatever's locking us in also knocks us out cold like a pack of Sleeping Beauties. Charlie was with us, that first week. Not one of us caught her leaving either.

[cupidsammo]

[ ... ? ]

So that's on purpose?

[gutterbound]

It might be. It's the same date and time isn't it? And the angels themselves can't figure it out.

I think someone's trying to mess with Heaven's little experiment.

[cupidsammo]

... Like this? I just—can't imagine why someone would do something so horrible.

[gutterbound]

I know. It's not something I think any regular person would do. Or force. [he makes a face, waving off the details.] But think about it. If there's a heaven, there might well be a hell. Or a dozen other unknowable places in between.

If there's something out there with an interest in seeing this big experiment fail, they might be sticking their fingers in. Messing with us in ways we're not able to predict yet.

I didn't know Jing Yuan well, but to people who did, he didn't sound like himself when talking about the murder. He might have been meddled with — same way as we're getting meddled with two Thursday nights in a row.

[cupidsammo]

[ A short pause follows, as if something is finally dawning on her. ]

Of course... I mean, all the tales always have gods against demons, or... things like that. So they would be here too, wouldn't they?

[gutterbound]

Might be. It's too early to say. The best evidence we have is that apple tree out back, and the strange things that keep happening here.

It's not proof positive, but it's proof of something.

[cupidsammo]

It's... not exactly better, but I feel like I'd take it over knowing they killed someone for no good reason.