Project Deicide

[icarusburning]

Kenzo didn't respond to her, and she was happy about it. Despite her outburst, she was hardly in the mood to start up any fights. Part of her wanted him to yell at her like Griffin would've, though. To bring her back down to the ground. To call her out on her bullshit and tell her to snap out of it, that her attitude wouldn't do anything to save them. But he didn't. He only walked away and finished eating.

She moved closer to the water, dipping her feet in. She didn't want to eat, scared that she'd only end up throwing it all up. The sky was beginning to get dark, and she found herself staring at the sky above her. She couldn't quite get over how endless it was. Her world had always started at the residential rooms and ended at the furthest gym. Now, it was miles of land, stretching on for what seemed like forever. She could walk for days and only find more sky and more earth beneath her.

Kenzo went to the hut, his words ringing in Ofelia's mind. That's how she liked it, she thought, that's how all of her teammates had treated her: the same cold disdain. She didn't need to be loved, she reminded herself. She needed to do her job. She needed to stop falling apart on the edge of the river and be the leader she had been taught to be.

She looked up to the sky, seeing a star above her head. It glowed, brighter than she thought stars would glow. As she watched it, she remembered an old story that said that you could wish on the first star that appeared in the night sky.

"I wish that-" she began, whispering to herself before freezing. What did she wish for? What did she want? She wanted to kill the Gods, sure, but only because she knew that she'd never live in peace without killing them. What was it that, at the core of her being, she wanted?

"I wish that Kenzo survives," she told the star, but by the time she spoke the words, there were already other stars joining it.

 

[Siren77]

Kenzo retreated into the bungalow, crouching as to fit inside. For a time he’d look at the two halves, deciding which one to choose. In the end it didn’t matter, it was the same hard terrain on both sides. Besides, even after what she said, he’d be too big of a pushover and give her the better side of there was one.

He decided on the side left of the entrance, and rolled onto the ground close to the wall. He’d misjudged the room needed for his longer legs, and had to curl up into a ball to get comfortable. It was childish in a way but he didn’t care at this point. It’d keep him warm, and helped him fall asleep easier. His thoughts dwelled on his friends as he slipped into the recesses of his mind.

It was a nightmare, but Kenzo couldn’t remember what had happened when he snapped awake. All he could feel was a never ending sense of dread and despair in the pit of his stomach. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and his breathing was slightly ragged in the wake of his panic. He could do nothing at the moment except stair at the wall in front of him, and try to ease his breathing. Eventually, he found peace, and his mind cleared.

Without bothering to try, he knew he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep any time soon. His mind was still on edge, so he decided to go for a walk.

Quietly he snuck out the bungalow and into the dead of night. The area around him was well lit by the moonlight, as it sat in full view high in the sky. Though disfigured by the branches above, it’s light still was enough for him to see clear. He wouldn’t go far, only into the forest a ways before stopping and looking up at one of the large trees sitting idle.

Out of some childish necessity, the larger adept began scaling the plant behemoth, seeking to reach the top of its sturdy frame. He wanted to get a better view of the night sky, and the perch at the top seemed like the best place to sit and think for a while. It wouldn’t take long, and eventually Kenzo found a comfortable place to rest at the peak of the rainforest tree.

Once certain he wouldn’t fall, Kenzo finally looked to the sky and was forced into a state of awe. Before him was a star littered sky that looked like something out of a movie. There wasn’t any space in the sky that didn’t have a cluster of stars decorating its voided complexion. It was absolutely gorgeous, and oddly enough, it was this sight alone that finally broke the electric adept.

All he could think about after witnessing the night sky’s splendor was how much his teammates would’ve loved to have seen this as well. To have basked in the dull but gorgeous light of the heavens above. His heart ached with such a force that he thought it might literally tear in half. At first it was only a couple tears that snuck their way out of the corners of his eyes. But like a damn breaking, the bottle finally opened and everything from the last day came pouring out.

Quiet but painful sobs wracked his whole body as he shook silently in the trees. The only sound was of him sniffling and taking sharp breaths inbetween the painful tears. He missed them all so much. In such a short time they’d all been ripped from him and now he could do nothing for them. He felt so angry and sad and hurt and he just wanted this chaotic feeling to end. He just wanted a hug one last time from them all.

Ofelia words were in repeat in his head as he cried, “We're still here because we didn't save anyone else except for ourselves.” Kenzo didn’t want to believe it was true, yet the words weren’t so easy to dismiss. Could he really have saved any of them? It stung to think about. He wanted to believe that he’d done all he could, but her words cut his certainty of that notion down.

"You can call it strength if it makes you feel better. But we're just as weak as everyone that died in our stead." He was weak. Weak without his team, as they were the biggest support he had in this life. Now he had nothing except himself, and a stranger that had suffered the same fate as he had. These thoughts only served to make him suffer more and more.

Adjusting himself in his agony, something shape jabbed at his leg that caused him to grunt amongst the sons. Reaching into his pocket, he’d retrieve the necklace Althea had given him just moment before her death. He’d completely forgotten it was there, and seeing it only made his heart ache more. But at the same time, there was a sense of comfort in the object. As he continued to shudder, Kenzo skipped the necklace on, letting it rest on his chest to gleam in the moonlight. The pendant was held tight in his hand as he continued to think.

Kenzo had done everything he could at the facility. Not a moment nor death had gone by that he hadn’t put himself in harms way to save those he could. The wound on his leg and the many in his wrist served as proof of that, as did the pendant he now holds. Never once did he turn tail and leave them behind willingly, he was always willing to try. It’s unfortunate what happened, but he liked to believe that his friends were cheering him on and overjoyed that he’d survived even if they’d perished along the way.

He was the one hope of redeeming them, and fighting for their cause. They’d all believed in him, and he had done the same for them all in return. While he felt broken, and like a coward, he was willing to push forward with courage to fight for them. Ofelia’s opinions were just that, opinions. His conviction would not be questioned, nor his purpose. He wasn’t making excuses, and wasn’t cowering from the weight of their deaths. Their memory truly served to drive him, and he wouldn’t be told otherwise.

And Kenzo knew Ofelia felt the same. As big of a fucking pessimist she was, he knew she had every intent of avenging her friends as he did. Her fiery temper and obvious drive proved it. Just like he, she just needed time to recover and collect her thoughts. He only hoped she’d improve eventually.

For now, that’s all he could do. Hope. Hope that they could get along. Hope that they could survive. Hope that they could finish what had been started. Hope was all they had, besides each other. So why not cling to it for dear life?

With his thoughts finally sorted out after his time to wallow in the treetops, Kenzo eventually would return to the ground, hoping to return to the bungalow to catch a little more sleep before the morning would begin.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia Amador never seemed to wake up slowly. One moment, she was asleep, having collapsed at the side of the spring, half in the water and half out, and the next she was jerked upright, her hands splashing in the water around her. She had thought that she had been awoken by a bad dream that she'd have no recollection of, and while the thumping of her heart confirmed that she'd been having one, it hadn't been what woke her. Instead, it was the shuffling of something moving behind her. She silently slipped into the water, fear pumping her away within moments. Was it one of Obatala's monsters? Had he found them? She peered out of the water, instead seeing Kenzo climbing down a tree and heading back into the hut he had built. Ofelia's mind was filled with questions as he disappeared, and she looked up at the top of the tree. What had he been doing up there? Was something wrong?

She snuck out of the water, moving as silently as she could towards the shelter. She didn't really want to talk to him, but she did want to make sure he was alright. She looked in, seeing his shadow curled up on one of the sides. There wasn't enough moonlight reaching him to make out any details, but his breathing was even and she figured that he was alright.

She thought about laying down on the other side of the shelter. It wouldn't hurt, and being out in the open was dangerous. Besides, the warm day had broken and the night air was cold against her skin. She'd be of no use if she caught sick. But Ofelia had never liked sleeping around people. She had no control over her form when she was asleep and her body would revert to flesh. If someone wanted to kill her when she was sleeping, she was just as vulnerable as any regular human. She supposed it was silly, since the same could be said for nearly every other adept, but after being so impossible to strike for so long, the fear of getting hit when she was weak seemed to overwhelm her.

She was reminded of her destroyed shoes when a gust blew by and her feet felt frozen, her toes practically numb. She decided to risk it, scared of damaging her unformed body more by staying in the cold. She snuck past Kenzo, lowering herself against the opposite wall. She sat, completely still, for a few minutes, watching him. Would he move? Was she in any danger? Kenzo was the least of her concerns in the jungle around her, though. Her mind raced with all of the possibilities, everything that could attack.

But exhaustion won over in the end, as she settled on her side. She tried to keep her weary eyes open for just a bit longer, but then her eyes blinked shut and she was asleep.

 

[Siren77]

Morning, as usual, came sooner than Kenzo would’ve liked. It was another sudden rude awaking, except this time no forgotten nightmare was the cause. Instead, it was the bright rays of the sun shining through the entrance to the hut as the sun began to rise above the canopy of trees in the rainforest they’d made their home.

For a moment he’d deny the daybreak it’s due rising, refusing to move and instead stare at the ceiling. He wasn’t sure what Ofelia’s plans were, and figured it best not to make any of his own, lest the events of yesterday repeat themselves. There were a few thing that were a guarantee. Breakfast, for example, would be a necessity even if they were to depart from this spot. So that’s where he decided to focus his efforts.

Into the forest Kenzo would go once more. This time he’d travel deeper in than when he’d scavenged for resources or on his climb yesterday. Given the fact that he hadn’t seen anything during those times, he doubted there’d be any wild fruit or something similar close. He’d travel for about fifteen minutes, keeping his eyes peeled for any irregularities in the expansive foliage. Color variations, strange shapes, anything that would indicate a new kind of plant or growth.

Nothing seemed to change. Everything looked the same, and Kenzo was beginning to accept the fate of having Ofelia catch more fish for them that morning. But then something caught the corner of his eye. A brief flash of color that caused his head to snap in its direction. At first he didn’t see it, but when he did his eyes widened with excitement. There, nestled among the expansive forests domain, was a wild banana tree. And hanging from one of its many branches, was a collection of the wild fruit growing.

Spoiler: salvation

In his elation, Kenzo sprinted towards the tree, and scaled its trunk as quickly as he could to get a better look at the fruit. While similar to the typical banana’s he’d seen in his life, these ones had some differences. Their was additional length sprouting from the ends, looking almost like spikes. And the bananas themselves were shorter but fatter, and weren’t near as curved as the others. But he wasn’t about to be picky or judge them based on looks. The fact alone that he’d found a source of food rich in potassium in this god forsaken jungle was a miracle in of itself.

Not all of them were ripe, but the bananas lingering towards the bottom were all sharing a bright yellow hue compared to the ones collected above them. Kenzo took his time and picked eight of the ripe ones, using his shirt as a basket to hold them in place as he descended from the tree and sprinted his way back to their camp.

A grin was plastered on his face as he entered the clearing once again, falling to his knees and dumping the fruit on the ground. Wasting no time, he’d grab one of the fruits and peeled its skin back before feasting on the nicely textured fruit. It was an absolute state of euphoria for him, and he enjoyed every bite.

He was about to enjoy a second, when someone cut him off.



“Hello?? Who’s out there?”

 

[icarusburning]

When Ofelia jerked wake the next morning, she remembered her nightmare vividly. Flashes of death and blood had stained her dreams as she'd scrambled through the facility, a grotesque and overexaggerated version of what she'd seen. Her fingers had scrambled at flesh-covered walls and the dog tags around her neck had grown heavier and heavier as she ran. She hadn't really known what she was running from, but the terror gripping her had told her enough about it. Finally, she had stumbled into the transerver room, though it was covered in destroyed metal and the mangled corpses of the machines. When she turned around, she came face-to-face with Paulina, who didn't hesitate to run her through with a spear made out of bullets. Ofelia coughed up blood, but when she looked from her own wound back to Paulina, it was Paulina who was bleeding and dying.

It was then that she had awoken with a start, shooting up in the hut. Kenzo was already gone, and Ofelia was drenched in her own sweat. She scrambled out of the structure, seeing the dead campfire and Kenzo nowhere to be found.

Instantly, her mind told her the worst. Something had come for them in the night. She hadn't been able to stop them or protect Kenzo. Just like that, she was alone again.

There were no signs of machinery, she told herself, looking in the soil and dirt around the campfire. No trees were knocked over, no branches disturbed too heavily. If anything had come, it was smaller, not like the monster that had killed Kousuke. Her mind flew to the man that she had seen by the water the day before, by the lake. She cursed under her breath as all blame was placed on the man that she'd hardly got a glimpse of. She should've told Kenzo about him, to warn him. Now, he might be in danger.

Giving the forest around her another glance, peering into the trees too, she made sure that Kenzo wasn't just hiding somewhere out of sight. Confirming that he really was gone, she dove into the water and shot upstream, moving towards the lake that she had found yesterday. This time, she moved as fast as she could, taking no breaks to check her surroundings or where she was. She simply didn't care.

It still took some time to reach the lake, and when she did, she took no time flying out of the water. Her body formed mid-air, water collecting around her as she looked down at the spot where the man had been fishing the day before. Not expecting to see anything, she froze when her eyes locked with those of a little girl. The girl's eyes were the size of saucers, the net in her hand falling into the water beneath her. Ofelia didn't manage to collect her thoughts in time, crashing to the ground unceremoniously next to her.

Ofelia scrambled to her feet, stepping away from the child. She looked normal, Ofelia thought, and she couldn't see any machinery built into her skin. Was she human? Was she safe?

"Are you ok, Miss?" the girl spoke first, taking a tentative step towards Ofelia. Ofelia took one back, towards the water, ready to go back in if she was threatened.

"Who are you?" Ofelia asked, "Are you with the man with the machine hand?"

"I'm Njeri!" she replied, "And Chief Mosi is with all of the adults looking for a strange fire." This all but confirmed Ofelia's fears. The man, along with his group, had seen their fire and gone to find them. Kenzo was with them.

"Njeri, take me to them," Ofelia told her, and the little girl nodded excitedly.

"Alright! Let's go home!"

 

[Siren77]

Kenzo stood in a defensive stance, hands raised ready for combat should a threat prove to make itself known. Though, something nagged that whoever was approaching wasn’t a threat, given it wasn’t typical of one to announce themselves before approaching. Nevertheless, he stood ready in case he was wrong.

“You should not be out here. The master does not like people entering his forests.”

Kenzo looked back into the bungalow for a moment. Ofelia was gone. His heart began to race as his mind thought of all the possibilities of where she could be. Had they taken her? Was it already too late to save her? The thought of being alone drove a pit into his stomach, but he tried not to dwell in it as he readied himself for the visitors arrival.

At last, a figure broke the tree line, making no sudden movements save for a steady walking pace. It was a human, and an older one at that. Kenzo had to guess them to be 50 or so. Their dark skin was adorned with a shaggy grey beard, and a shaven head. As far as he could tell, they did not pose a threat.

The man seemed to take note of Kenzo’s defensive posture, and raised his hands.

“Relax my friend. I am not here to harm you.”

And that’s when Kenzo saw it. The mans left hand was gone, and replaced entered by a cybernetic appendage resembling what was missing. The flesh around it was torn and mangle, yet blended with the steel construct.

“Where’s Ofelia?” Kenzo questioned, his voice harsh and accusing.

“Ah, so it is not a single individual that has found their way into our lands. I’m not sure where your friend is, but I can assure you myself and my people have no intent to harm either of you in coming here. If they’ve been found like you have, I’m sure they’ve been led back to our home by now.” Their right hand crossed to rest on their chest, “My name is Canan Mosi, I am the chief of the people that inhabit this land. Who might you be, my strange friend?”

“I’m.... Kenzo.” The adepts stance relaxed a b. Chief Mosi smiled in response.

“Well, Kenzo. We’re very curious as to how and why you are here. But by the looks of you and that arm of yours, you’ve seen better days and might not be in the mood for questions. If you’d like to come with us, we can offer you a better place to sleep than the hard floor in your hut, as well as plenty of food, and medical attention to suture up your wounds. I see you’ve already taken a liking to one of our banana trees, and I can’t say I blame you. I quite enjoy them myself.”

Kenzo finally fully relaxed, and he’d look to be hut and thought for a moment. Despite the cybernetics of the man, he wasn’t a threat in the slightest. He didn’t see a reason not to trust him, and only hoped he wouldn’t regret that later. Looking back to the Chief, Kenzo nodded his head.

“Lead the way.”

 

[icarusburning]

The girl was small and moved through the forest easily, slipping around trees and branches with little difficulty. It wasn't quite the same for Ofelia, who had to scramble around to keep herself from eating a faceful of dirt or leaves. It took them a few minutes before the girl broke into a clearing, revealing a series of huts and houses. Ofelia once again froze up at the sight of other people, who all meandered around, doing daily chores. Her eyes shot from one to another, shocked by how many of them held metal parts on their body. An arm, part of a face, with some of them even more, all with the skin seemingly melting into it in a grotesque mix of scar tissue and machine. Her eyes shot around, looking for Kenzo among the people. She didn't spot the larger adept and panic was rising in her throat. She had to stay calm, she told herself, she had to be calm.

"Chief Mosi isn't back yet," Njeri told Ofelia, grabbing her hand to lead her into the village. Ofelia yanked away, still unnerved by the strangers around her.

"Don't-" she began, only to be interrupted by someone that had spotted the two of them.

"Who are you?" an older woman asked, frowning at Ofelia, motioning for Njeri to come closer to him, "Where did you come from?"

"You don't need to know," Ofelia snapped, "I'm looking for your chief."

"He's not here," the woman told her, "Are you the stranger who lit a fire in the forest yesterday?"

"Why? Because your chief went out hunting for us?" Ofelia asked, "I know he has Kenzo. Just tell me where he is."

"He did go out looking for you, along with some of the others," the woman nodded, "But I don't know who Kenzo is and his whereabouts. Would you like to wait in the house until the chief returns?" The woman took a step towards Ofelia, and Ofelia backed away.

"Stay away from me," Ofelia hissed, noticing that they were beginning to draw a crowd, "I'll wait until your chief returns, but come any closer and I'll attack."

"She's a fish!" Njeri announced, misinterpreteing her abilities, "Her body is part of the water, like the trout!" Just like that, Ofelia's abilties were revealed to the group. She hoped for a moment that they'd just misinterperate the girl's words as the ramblings of a child, but all eyes turned to here with a knowing glint. It was obvious: they thought she was an adept on the run, evading the grasp of the Gods. In a strange way, she was.

"Where are you from?" the woman repeated, "I suggest you tell us soon, little fish." Ofelia understood the threat in the woman's words and lowered herself into a defensive position, ready to melt herself if need be. If these people wanted a fight, she'd give them one.

 

[Siren77]

“Kayah!” A voice rang out amid the commotion of the villagers circling about Ofelia, originating from a source they knew all too well.

All would look to see a party of adults all breaking the forest tree line, the same group they’d seen leave early that morning. Heading the group was Chief Mosi, who walked alongside a stranger that stuck out like a sore thumb among the rest. The attention was then turned to them as their chief approached, with the crowd splitting to make way for him.

“These two are not our enemy, and I thought I made it clear to not treat them as such.”

Kayah, the woman who had just been attempting to interrogate Ofelia, was clearly furious with his words.

“Not our enemy? My chief, this woman is an Adept! And I would not be surprised if the male she travels with us one as well! Njeri claims to have seen her using her unnatural abilities!”

Chief Mosi was only mildly surprised by her words, looking at the pair of strangers standing in their midst. But, a unlike his fellow people, his attitude shifted to that of humor. A heart chuckle was heard as he shook his head.

“And who is it that decided Adepts were our enemy?”

“We need not be told! You of all people have seen what the self proclaimed Gods of this world have done! What they have brought upon our people! You and many of our own bear the scars of what those Gods can bring upon us!”

Mosi eyed his mechanical hand for a moment, but then looked back up.

“We have suffered much yes, but we are not alone in our suffering. As you have said, the whole world is in chaos. Many lives have been ruined and lost in the wake of the Adept Gods’ madness. But our species are not the only ones who have experienced this. Who has seen a horrendous filicide and mass execution, with none of their kind being allowed to live more than a day without having their lives taken from them? I dare say the adepts have suffered as much as we have, thought it be under different circumstances.”

The Chief’s attention switched from Kayah to the whole of his people that had gathered.

“My brothers and sisters, look upon these two! Look at the state in which they live! Do they look to be mercenaries sent to destroy us? No! Look at their wounds, and the tiredness in their eyes. These two have suffered much, I may not know their stories, but I know that much to be true. Because I have seen the same look and scars upon each and every one of you! Please do not let your hate for the Gods blind you from the truth. I had a strong feeling these two were outcasts, and how right I was. I beg you, show them your hospitality. They are frightened, they are young! Don’t be a part of the chaos that has plagued our lands for so long.”

Kenzo was touched by the mans words, impressed with how accepting and understanding the man was, regardless of who they were or the relations they shared with those that enslaved their kind. He’d approach, placing his hand on the chiefs shoulder, offering a nod and smile of gratitude. His gaze shifted to Ofelia, and he’d slowly approach her while the rest of the villagers stood fast and viewed them, as if watching a rare breed of animal in the wild.

“You okay? He’d question, stopping just a couple paces from her.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia wanted to scream when she saw Kenzo, unharmed save for yesterday's wounds. She listened to the conversation between the people with a glare, not caring about their internal conflict regarding her kind. If they wanted to hate her, let them. She didn't need their hospitality or their pity. She wasn't here to help them or grant them any kind of salvation.

She only gave the chief a cold stare as Kenzo gave him his appreciation, storming to Kenzo as soon as he turned towards her. His words ticked her off, but only because she was already on edge. She couldn't get hurt, who did he think she was?

"Always," she responded, eyeing him carefully for any new wounds and carfully grabbing his injured arm, lifting the fabric to peer under it. Other than his old wounds, he was unscathed, and a tension lifted from her shoulders as she realized it. She hadn't failed him yet, though she knew that she had to be more careful going forwards. Another group may not be as welcoming towards them, snd she'd really regret letting him out of her sight.

She grabbed his good wrist, pulling him back in the direction of the forest. She didn't trust these people, and even if their chief was on their side, the stares of the other townsfolk told her all she needed to about how they percieved her. Who knows what they'd do when the chief turned his back? Or worse, what if it was a trap? It was best to not rely on anyone else.

"Come on, we're going," she told him, ready to walk back along the stream to the spring. They could keep going, too, if just to put a little distance between them and the town.

 

[Siren77]

"Come on, we're going,"

Kenzo wouldn’t even get a chance to speak, as Ofelia was already hellbent on taking control of the situation and carrying it out how she saw fit. The smaller adept took ahold of his wrist and began dragging him back to the tree line.

For a moment, he followed blindly, pacing just after her as she pulled him along. He knew she was already ticked and didn’t want to escalate the situation any more than it already had. But in that brief moment he thought to himself about that had happened. All that had been offered to them, and how quick she was to walk away from it all. Ofelia was so hellbent on being self reliant, that she wasn’t even focusing in on the other possibilities.

“If you do change your mind, or village is always open to the both of you.” Chief Mosi called after them, making no further bold attempts to bring them back.

Suddenly, before they could even retreat into the forest, Kenzo stopped dead in his tracks and refused to be pulled any further. He could feel her still tugging, but he held fast.

“No. We should stay here.”

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia was ready to yell something obsene back at the old coot who'd dare to snag Kenzo from under her nose when Kenzo stopped. She pulled but he didn't give and she was forced to turn to look at him as he spoke.

He was really thinking of staying? And he was arguing with her? It wasn't the time, and he had to know that he would only make her act out even more. She was the leader here and he was going to listen to her if they wanted to survive.

"Oh yeah? With the people who were just talking about hating adepts?" she replied, shooting a glare over his shoulder, "This is the real world and not everybody is on our side. Taking chances will only get us killed." She didn't want to say what was really on her mind: she should've been this unforgiving yesterday. She shouldn't have given the enemies a single opening to attack them. If she hadn't paused, Andre wouldn't have been shot. If she had stopped Awiti, they could've carried Paulina. If she hadn't let her guard down with Kousuke, they'd both be alive. She wasn't going to regret anything again. She couldn't afford to. And she definitely wasn't going to meet her end at the hands of some townfolk that decided to hand her and Kenzo over to Obatala.

 

[Siren77]

“Taking a chance is the only reason we’re alive.”

Kenzo was doing everything he could to keep his head in the situation. But it was clearly showing how her behavior and attitude was beginning to grate on him, judging by his strained tone of voice. It was clear he was speaking his mind far more than usual.

“And it’s the only reason we’ll survive and pull this off. You can’t expect us to run and hide from everyone we come across, regardless of their views of our kind. Need I remind you, their only exposure to people like us have been tyrants that have ruled many of them since they were born.”

He was getting tired of speaking, and so he’d stop. Standing upright, he’d fold his arms and stare Ofelia down. It was clear he wasn’t going anywhere, the look on his face said as much. He was prepared to argue further if needed be, he only hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia knew that he was right. They were supposed to kill the Gods in groups of five to eight, and now there were only the two of them. They needed help from any avenue willing to give it to them. And, just as much as Ofelia had reason to not trust them, they had reason to doubt her. They had been tortured by her kind, and Ofelia doubted that she would be as kind as they were being if she were in their shoes.

Still, she wasn't happy about it. Her mind was wandering with everything that could go wrong. She paused for a few moments, looking between Kenzo's determined posture and the crowd behind him.

"Fine! Fine," she burst out, taking two aggravated steps backwards, "But if a single person so much as looks at me the wrong way, I will kill them all." Her words were loud enough to reach the townsfolk, and she wanted them to be. If they were scared of her, they'd be a lot less likely to try anything.

 

[Siren77]

Fortunately, the situation was toning down steadily. Ofelia seemed to come to terms with Kenzo’s stance towards the people, but it was clear she was aggravated both with him and them. At first, Kenzo was willing to drop it and double back to meet with Chief Mosi, but then the comments she made caused him to stride forward to place a hand on her shoulder.

“No, you won’t.” He spoke clearly, his grip squeezing ever so slightly. His tone then shifted lower, keeping what was said next between the both of them. “Threatening them will do us no favors. Play nice, they could be our first steps towards taking Obatala down.”

That said, Kenzo left her be to return to Chief Mosi.

“Have you and your friend changed your minds?”

Kenzo nodded his head, offering a kind smile.

“Wonderful! We’d be honored to have you amongst us!” Some of the adults were scowling as they began to depart, which planted a seed of doubt with the both of them, “Well, most of us will be. Please, come with me, we’ll get you both set up in a more comfortable place to sleep. We can also ensure you are fed if the both of you are hungry.”

Mosi led Kenzo and Ofelia into the village, through the many huts and structures they had built. The place was lively, with many people going about their business. Mothers hung laundry while their children played, some of the adults were helping construct huts in a similar fashion to the rest, and many worked steadily on the plots of ground where various fruits and vegetables grew.

Nestled in the back corner of their domain, just along the line of the forest, Mosi led them to one of the smaller huts available. He’d gesture for them to enter. The hut was set up with a pair of hand made cots, and Firepit in the center to provide warmth during the cooler nights. It was barren, save for cloths they had for bedding, but it was a huge step up from Kenzo’s crude structure.

“Will this work for you both?”

Kenzo nodded his head again, silently thanking the chief for his help.

“Excellent. I’ll let you both do as you please. Let us know if you need anything.”

He’d leave, letting the two of them look around in the small hut for a moment. Kenzo paced over to the cot on the left, easing himself down into it to sit. It was firm, but it had ample give to be comfortable. The cloth was light, but he didn’t think they’d need much for covers.

Kenzo looked over to Ofelia, almost seeking approval of their situation. Surely even she could atleast find some positives in this.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia scowled when Kenzo squeezed her shoulder, ignoring his words. The people would be helpful, but they could just as easily be dangerous. She would play nice, but she wasn't going to turn a blind eye to any suspicious activities.

Ofelia followed the Chief, staring down the people she passed. Ofelia wasn't tall, but if there was anything that she could do well, it was look down at people.

Ofelia had to admit that she liked the hut that the Chief lead them too. It was quaint and looked comfortable, like something out of a picture book. She examined the walls and furniture carefully, looking for anything suspicious.

As the Chief left, she reached out and grabbed his arm. "Bring me medical supplies," she told him, cold and harsh. He nodded and left, and Ofelia turned back to Kenzo.

"Give me your arm," she instructed him, reaching for the bandages, "I can stitch it up." A moment later, the Chief returned, handing a small box of supplies to Ofelia.

 

[Siren77]

Kenzo didn’t appreciate Ofelia’s persistence in her harsh tone, but saw no point in trying to reason with her about it. He’d already made his opinions clear, and she hers. Obviously neither of them were going to take a step in the others direction of behavior, so they were at an impasse for now.

When Chief Mosi returned with a medical kit for the both of them, Kenzo thanked him with a smile despite Ofelia’s harsher attitude towards the man. It was a blessing that a human and his people were so eager to aid the adepts in the mission. Then again, as Kenzo looked upon the mans mechanical hand, these people had suffered first hand under Obatala’s reign. His unnatural and immoral experiments had affected them all, even killing many of them over the past few years. Kenzo couldn’t help but think back to the monstrosity that he and Ofelia had seen when trying to escape.

Undoubtedly the God had additional horrors such as it scattered throughout the land. Heaven only knew what manner of abomination waited for them.

Thankfully, he wouldn’t have to fight them one armed though. Or alone for that matter.

As Ofelia began working on the stitches, Kenzo looked to her with a half crack of a smirk. The smaller adept certainly had her flaws, making her out to be one of the biggest pains in the ass he’d ever known. But he could atleast tell her heart was in the right place, atleast towards him. Even if she was a control freak, it was only out of concern in ensuring his and her safety. They were trying their best in this stressful circumstance, just as he was.

Even through the obvious toll it was taking on her behavior, Kenzo could see why she was a leader. As much as she tried to hide the fact, she cared. She cared for him, just as she cared for those members of her team who are now gone. Perhaps not in the same sentimental value as his own team, but it was still enough to be appreciated. He knew he just needed to give her some time, and hopefully her behavior would improve. For now, he’d just need to grit his teeth and bear her harsher actions to those around them.

The stitching was pretty much painless, save for the occasional prick here and there that made him wince. It took a lot of time with how much there was to do, but eventually the shredded skin adorning his arm was stitched back into place to better resemble what it once looked like. Black threading worked its way all over, and Kenzo knew he’d need to be careful to let it heal without popping any of them. It’d be a pain, but he’d have to refrain using it for a time longer. But it’d be worth it in the end.

For now, he’d wrap it back up in that same cloth, more of a reminder not to use it than for any actual protection. Then Kenzo looked to Ofelia, and smiled.

“Thank you.”

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia pretended not to notice the smirk that Kenzo had on his face, instead focusing on his arm. She didn't want to hear whatever sappy comments he would spew about her caring, so she didn't mention it.

"Just don't use it," Ofelia huffed when Kenzo thanked her, putting the medical supplies down, "Rest so you'll heal up. I'm going back to the lake." She didn't need to be in the water, as her body was already recovered, but she found herself wanted to be submerged once again. She left the hut, ignoring the townsfolk that shot glares in her direction. Beelining towards the direction that she had come from, she went back into the forest, taking a deep breath when she was alone and out of sight.

She practically ran to the lake, throwing herself back in. She hated the entire situation. She mostly wanted to just go back home, but she knew that it was impossible. She stood in the shallow end of the lake, pulling her shirt off and beginning to mold the skin on her body.

The water in front of her slowly melted as she recalled the scars that she had gotten from yesterday. An indent in the back of her head, from the bullet that killed Kitty. Scratches running down her cheek from Andre's nails. Burns on her hand from Griffin's flames. She molded her skin to reform them, letting the water from it melt away. And then, pulling off the earring that held a small bottle at the end of a chain, she uncorked the bottle, letting the water trickle in. For emergencies, she told anyone who asked her. It was a lie. The water was from her scars. Her body didn't leave the marks of her battles, healing her skin to pristine condition every time. But Ofelia liked the reminders of her pain. She liked keeping them melted, there to always remind her of her failures.

"What happened to your back?" a voice spoke up from behind Ofelia, and she whipped around to see the little girl, Njeri, sitting on the side of the lake. She was staring at Ofelia's back and the mutilated scar tissue with wide eyes, and Ofelia scowled.

"Did you follow me?" she asked, ignoring the girl's question.

"I wanted to see if you'd become a fish again!" Njeri replied, a smile breaking out on her face.

"I'm not a fish," Ofelia snapped, pulling her shirt back on, "Didn't your mommy tell you to stay away from me?"

"Yes," Njeri admitted, "You have to be a fish, though. You moved in the water like whoosh!"

"I'm not," Ofelia groaned, lifting her hand in front of the girl's face and melting it, "I'm just water."

"Woah!" Njeri screamed, voice far too loud, "You're like a river spirit!"

Ofelia chuckled, "You like that, huh? What about this?" The rest of her body began to trickle into the water below her, and Njeri squealed out.

"Fly again! Like you did this morning!" she said, and Ofelia slipped into the water below her. Speeding through the water below her, she built up speed before launching herself directly up and out of the lake, forming mid-air once again. She felt like a mermaid, her legs not formed but her head held high, water droplets flying off of her. Njeri cheered as Ofelia rained back into the water, forming in front of the child once again.

"I wish I could be amazing, like you!" Njeri beamed, and Ofelia haltered.

"No, I don't think you'd like it," Ofelia told her, eyes turning away, "It's not all that great."

"Are you saying that because Mom's scared of you?" Njeri asked, and Ofelia didn't know how to explain the grief that she'd gone through yesterday.

"No," Ofelia finally said, slowly, "It's because I'm scared of everything else. Even your Mom."

"Mom's not that scary!" Njeri cried, "She takes away my dolls sometimes but she's not mean."

"I know," Ofelia chuckled, sitting next to the girl and laying back, the sun on her skin, "Better be safe than sorry."

 

[Siren77]

Five days passed.

Nestled amongst the secluded civilization of the African Tribe, the two remaining adepts of Project Deicide bided their time in recovering both mentally and physically. While Ofelia’s abilities made it all too easy to heal, Kenzo would need a bit of time. Not too long though, as the stitching provided by his teammate made his arms recovery far easier. It was a miracle that in the crossfire trying to save Gouki, it hadn’t been damaged beyond repair. The weapons those Watchmen wielded were brutal, even for adepts.

During the course of those five days, Kenzo’s arm healed quite nicely. By the third day, his upper layers of flesh showed signs of repair, and the stitches would be removed the day after. He was still using it lightly, not wanting to reopen any of the wounds before it could heal fully. But it felt nice to look down and not see a mangled appendage. Already scar tissue could be seen heavily patterned on his skin, and it likely wouldn’t fade. Forever a mark of what happened a week prior.

When he wasn’t resting, or fending Ofelia off from bickering with the adults, Kenzo found himself helping around the village as best he could. If the task was light enough, both arms were used, but if it was heavier work then he tended to do things single handed. The villagers understood his situation, and still appreciated the help. From folding laundry to picking fruit, Kenzo kept himself busy as to stay close to the adults. His intent with this was not only to build relations with them, but also to ask questions and find out more about Obatala.

The God of Machines was not a target for either of the two adepts initially, so both of them lacked sufficient knowledge to take them on. Fortunately, the adults seemed to have plenty of experience with the mad bastard, as was evident by the mechanical scars they carried with them always.

Obatala was a man of mystery, never seeming to have a set schedule. He could arrive amongst their village in patterns of anywhere from weeks to even years. The villagers believed he selected tribes at random in the African continent to be visited and take away new test subjects. Children were apparently his favorite, as new flesh meant new bodies to harvest for his mad schemes. He was always accompanied by a small Platoon of his creations, more as a means of fear than anything else. The people knew full well his mechanical exoskeleton was outfitted with all sorts of weaponry, but the abominations he brought with him were a threat of what could happen to them all if they didn’t comply. Not that he wouldn’t disfigure them so harshly if they did. It depended on his mood, and that in of itself was pure chaos.

While mechanical in appearance, the villagers claimed that even his own body had yet to be completely overtaken by machinery. Those who had been amongst him recently had heard his mad ramblings of not wanting to sacrifice the genius in his own mind, not knowing the results of what could happen to him afterwards. Clearly vital parts of his old body still remained.

It had been almost 2 years since they’d last seen him however, and the villagers theorized that Obatala could be planning on taking the next step soon. With his creative mind, there was not telling what sort of horrific experiment he would create for himself.

Whatever Kenzo found out, he of course would relay it to Ofelia. Often times he simply wrote it all down and delivered it to her whenever he saw her next. Behaviors and appearances were all they could know for now. As far as battle strategies and combat situations, Kenzo doubted they’d find anything out until they were in the moment. This would be the case with many of the other gods, save for Mars and Kitsune, with minor information on Hela and Chernabog. They’d need to learn a lot as they went, and how effectively they could do so remained to be seen.

It’d take a lot of strategy, but Kenzo remained hopeful.
————————————

“3... 2... 1... Ready or not, here we come!” The voice of a child called out amongst the village.

Hide and go seek was by far the children’s favorite game to play. With the positioning of the village, there was ample opportunity to hide, and their smaller bodies only opened the possibilities further. They’d been dying to get the adepts to play with them, and Kenzo had finally been suckered into their afternoon rounds.

They were playing a variation of the base game, that they simply called ‘Squish.’ The goal was to find the hider, and join them in their hiding spot, packing as tight as possible to remain hidden. Then the last person to find the ground would be the hider for the next round.

Unsurprisingly, given it was his first time playing, the children let Kenzo hide so they all could seek him out. The large adept decided to scale one of the banana trees close to the first line, climbing as high as he could to be concealed in its branches. He wasn’t too concerned about the height, as the kids all proved to be expert climbers as well.

His hiding spot proved to be ineffective though, as one by one they all slowly found him and joined him up high. Finally, the last of the group found them all, a young boy named Mata. With gleeful grins and laughter, the children began to mock the boy for loosing the game, which was only responded with a grin of his own.

“I let you all win so I could be the one to hide!”

“No you didn’t! You are just terrible at finding people!” Responded one of the girls named Byeol.

“Believe what you will, I know the truth! Kenzo does too, right?” The boy looked for approval as the adept joined them on the ground after their descent.

Kenzo shrugged his shoulders, “It did take you a while.”

“On you’re just appeasing the masses! You know the truth!”

Mata tried in vain to push Kenzo in a playful manner, but the man didn’t move in the slightest, smirking all the while. When the boy finally gave up, Kenzo zapped him with a light jolt of electricity that would only feel like a static shock. They all cried with laughter in response.

“No fair!” Mata also laughed, “We agreed you couldn’t use your powers while we play!”

“But we’re not playing right now, are we?” Kenzo zapped him again, sending all the children running as he zapped a couple others.

Only one of them didn’t run, the girl named Njeri. She looked nervous, but approached Kenzo.

“Can you ask if Ofelia wants to play with us? We’ve tried before, but she always says no.”

Kenzo chuckled and got down on a knee to look at the girl eye to eye.

“If she says no to you, she’ll definitely say no to me. But! Persistence is key my little friend. Try again, maybe she’ll say yes this time.”

His words seemed to inspire Njeri, so she ran off to find the other adept, leaving Kenzo to run and terrorize the other kids for a little longer.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia only felt more stressed out as the days passed. She had happy to see Kenzo's condition improving, especially as his arm regained strength, but she couldn't help but to feel pressured by the looming weight of what they were supposed to do. Kenzo seemed to remind her about it around every corner, bringing her more information about Obatala. She took it without comment, writing it all down, but it was beginning to get to her. How were the two of them supposed to take on an abomination like him? It was simply impossible.

That wasn't to say that Ofelia wanted to stay in the town. Her temper and paranoia towards the residents had hardly calmed down and Ofelia was certain that Kenzo was tired of stepping in and keeping her from fighting with them. Every small comment about her abilities or about Kenzo would send her into a fury, threatening the adults with some sort of horrible death.

Ofelia could even begin to handle the whispers about how she was a monster, or how she shouldn't be alive. But, a few days in, what really began upsetting her were their concerns about their children. Whenever Ofelia was caught speaking to Njeri or any of her friends, which became more and more often as Njeri warmed up to her, the children would be dragged away. The parents would throw around the same words about Ofelia being dangerous and unpredictable, making her feel more like some untrained mutt than a human being.

Still, their harsh words didn't keep the children away for long. They seemed to flock around Ofelia, and she really didn't mind. She doubted that they would turn her over to Obatala, or kill her in her sleep, so she let them stick around her. They asked about her ability and loved to poke her half-melted skin, squealing when it rippled under their touch. She'd swim with them whenever they asked and caught fish for them, letting them take the food home and cook it over open fires. Though the adults knew about the time the kids spent with her, they began growing, at the very least, neutral towards her. After a child had fallen into the lake and scraped his leg, and Ofelia had burst back into the village on the brink of tears with him in her arms, they began to realize that Ofelia wasn't going to hurt the children.

Their trust didn't calm Ofelia much. She worked on a nearly nocturnal schedule, staying up all night to keep watch over Kenzo in their hut and sleeping in the lake during the day. Her time in the night was spent pouring over the information Kenzo gave her about Obatala, spending hours attempting to piece together everything she could and coming up with potential attacks. Every night, her hope dwindled, as she realized how impossible the task at hand was. Wasn't it just better to stay safe and away? She could protect Kenzo out here. She wasn't sure if she would be able to protect him in Obatala's lab.

"Ofelia!" a voice snapped Ofelia out of her thoughts as she sat on the edge of the lake, legs wet. Ofelia turned to see Njeri storming through the forest to reach her, beaming.

"Yes?" Ofelia cocked her head to the side, waiting for the girl to run up and stand in front of her.

"Come play with us!" Njeri cried, "Kenzo is, and he said that you should come!"

Ofelia scoffed, "No, he didn't. Don't lie, your tongue will fall off."

"No!" Njeri clamped her hands over her mouth, "I lied! He didn't say that. But you should still come and play!"

"I don't want to," Ofelia responded, "Go back to the town. Don't get hurt."

Njeri deflated at the words, her eyes tearing up, "Why not? Don't you like me?"

"This isn't about-" Ofelia began, only to be interrupted by the girl.

"You hate us!" Njeri gasped, "Even though you're supposed to love us!"

A fat cheer ran down Njeri's cheek, and Ofelia quickly wiped it away, "Ok, ok, calm down. I'll play with you."

Njeri instantly stopped crying, "Come on then! We'll miss the next round." Groaning, Ofelia let the girl grab her hand and pull her back towards the town and the busy group of children. Ofelia paused for a moment as the kids didn't notice her and Kenzo ran chasing them, zapping them with electricity. They squealed and wormed around him, laughing as they went.

"I got Ofelia!" Njeri announced, and the children turned to flock around her. Ofelia chuckled as they hid behind her, taking refuge from Kenzo. One small boy, Mata, lifted his arms in a request for Ofelia to lift him up. She did, settling him on her hip as he clung to her.

"They're making fun of me, Ofelia," he whined, "I lost Squish and they said I'm bad at finding people!" He was complaining, though his lips held a soft smile and it was obvious that the boy was hardly upset. Ofelia dramatically turned to the other children, eyes narrowed.

"Who's been saying that about Mata?" she asked, "Fess up, or you're going to get soaked by the water spirits." The children around her roared in laughter as her arm melted, raining down on them in a loud splash.

"Kenzo said it!" Mata told her, and Ofelia turned to the larger adept. She might have warmed up the kids, but her relationship with Kenzo still felt oddly strained. They were a team, but they didn't have the same goals. She paused before turning back to the kids.

"Kenzo's not a good finder either. Wanna go hide and prove it?" she asked them, putting Mata down so he could prepare to run off and continue playing their game.

 

[Siren77]

When Njeri returned, Kenzo initially was certain that it would be empty handed. But when her gleeful cries of successfully fetching the other adept rang out, his eyebrows raised in surprise. Temporarily he stopped chasing after the kids, and looked towards the pair with a smirk on his face. As much as the smaller adept pretenses she didn’t care do these people, she sure did have a soft spot for the little ones. Not that he could blame her for that.

Mata ended up ratting him out for his teasings earlier, which prompted a sarcastic eye roll from the larger adept. He’d zap the boy one last time as he took off running, chasing him to squeal with laughter again for disappearing out of sight as he looked off a place to hide. Thirty seconds later the kids would all begin their hunt, and the two adepts slowly trailed after them.

“I’m surprised she actually got you to come and join them for once. I guess Njeri’s rubbed off on you hasn’t she?” Kenzo said with that same know it all smirk.

In truth he was happy that his teammate had actually decided to join the social aspects of living in the village, instead of secluding herself as she so often did. It’d be much better for her mentally, as the mentality of isolation only served to do more damage than good for an individual. Though he’d never say that to her openly, knowing full well it’d only be met with scorn from her.

“So, how much longer will we give it before it’s time to move on?”

Kenzo beamed as he watched the children all scout the area. As much as he enjoy being among these people, he thought it in their best interest to move forward soon. If they lingered there for too long, who knows what could happen to the lie people or to them. It was saddening to him, but a necessary evil in his eyes. But as usual, his thoughts were hardly what made up the plans. It’d be Ofelia’s own attitude to the situation that would decide their next move.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia huffed when Kenzo commented on her relationship with the children. Puffing up her chest and shooting him a level glare, she tried her hardest to hide the burning she felt in her cheeks.

"Don't mistake my agreement for acceptance," she said, words harsh, "I just didn't want her to start bawling over something dumb." The excuse was hardly true. He'd seen her, he knew that she was already soft towards the children. Ofelia wanted desperately to defend herself, though. She'd always been so protective over others, of course she would act even more so with kids. She'd never been nice to her teammates, but that hadn't stopped her from acting parental. It was her who'd taken care of them when they got sick, who watched their diets and sleep schedules and training. It was only natural for her to be more open to the children.

Ofelia froze at Kenzo's next comment, her entire body going stiff. They were the words that she really didn't want to hear. She'd been planning for them to be asked, sure. Kenzo would want to continue their mission, to go and continue searching for Obatala. And, again, it wasn't like Ofelia wanted to stay here either. It was just the Obatala part that paralyzed her. They were at least partially safe here, laying low and safe. But if they left? If they pursued the chain of information that would lead to the God? They were only getting themselves into more trouble. They could easily be found out and killed.

Ofelia knew that it was foolish to assume that she'd be able to hide forever. They had to move on, as they'd be discovered one way or another. If they didn't kill Obatala, he would only cause more suffering and pain. But Ofelia's thoughts were selfish. She wanted Kenzo to live. She wanted to keep him away from danger. He was all that she had left to protect, and she didn't want to fail at that, either.

"We can leave soon," she said, eyes trained on the ground in front of her, "But we can't go looking for Obatala, or any information about him. His guard will be up and we can't risk it." If anything, she thought, the opposite was true. His forces would be weaker after so much of his Watch was murdered or left without escape in the facility. If he did know that some adepts managed to escape, he wouldn't know where they were, and probably thought they had already starved to death or died of injuries. Now would be the perfect time to strike.

But Ofelia was afraid, so she didn't say any of that.

 

[Siren77]

Kenzo could only laugh as Ofelia got all puffed up over his comment. It wouldn’t matter how far she back tracked with her words, he’d just seen her behavior with the children first hand and he’d never let it go. As usual, as much as she pretended that she didn’t care, there was a plethora of evidence to prove the opposite of her claims. He wouldn’t say anything more about it though, as he didn’t want to upset or irritate her more than he already had. It was the small victories he found that were the most worthwhile in this complicated partnership of theirs.

The larger adept had been expected a much more... eager, response to he prior question. After everything they’d been through, he figured that Ofelia would be just as eager as he was to finish the work that had been started by their now dead comrades. And yet, he was surprised to hear that Ofelia had no intentions of leaving. Sure she said soon, but that was nothing more than a blanket statement with no actual answers as far as days. Not only this, but even if and when they did depart from this place, Ofelia didn’t want to pursue Obatala. At least, not yet.

Kenzo stopped in his tracks right alongside her, his brows furrowed as he folded his arms. Her claims were assumptive at best, and paranoia drive at worst. After the sheer army they and the other adepts had to tear through to get here, did she honestly expect an army to be so readily available? He’d have his fair share of units available sure, but not near as many as before the invasion. Clearly a lot of effort went into that mission, and there weren’t many survivors on their end as far as he could tell. There were more questions than he wanted to ask in response to her claims, so he decided to keep it simple.

“His guard can’t be up, no one even knows we survived. From the carnage at the facility, all anyone would be able to make of it is everyone involved in the project was wiped out. As of right now we have the element of surprise, it’s the perfect time to....”

His voice faded, as he finally took the time to analyze her posture, and the averted look in Ofelia’s eyes as she looked at the ground. Despite her best efforts to hide it, the fear she held back shown through for him to vaguely see. Why she’d be afraid, he wouldn’t know. With as headstrong as she was, he figured she would’ve been raring to fight. But here she was, avoiding his eye contact and suppressing her feelings.

Kenzo hesitated to speak further, unsure of what to say. As usual, words seemed to always fail him in moments such as these. He wasn’t sure how to react, but there was one way that came to mind as far as how he could help comfort her. As cliche of an idea as it was, it was honestly the only thing he could think to do right now. So, Kenzo reached his arm forward, and gently took ahold of hers being careful not to disrupt it in its watery stare.

“I believe in you.”

Four simple words is all he would say, with a genuine smile on his face. Those same words had been said to him a million times by his teammates, some of those numbers even belonging to Samson. In his mind, the phrase was a token of faith in trust both on the battlefield and in strategy. And he meant them. Though they butted heads constantly, he trusted and believed in her, both as a teammate and as a friend.

It wasn’t clear to him what held her back so much, but whatever it was he wasn’t about to shame her for it. Hell, fear was only natural in this situation. Kenzo was just the only one stupid enough to ignore it for right now.

Being careful not to linger too long with his touch, he’d remove his hand, but the smile still remained.

“We can leave when you feel ready, and I’ll follow your lead on this one.”

As much as he didn’t like the notion, running headlong towards the danger and forcing her to come with him would also be a bad move. They needed to work together, and part of that involved setting aside their pride to take into account the others thoughts.

He’d try to encourage departing as soon as possible, but he wouldn’t force it.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia tensed up with each word he spoke as he argued against her logic. He was right and she was frantically thinking of what she could say to argue with him. How could she convince him that it wasn't worth it? That she wasn't pausing their pursuit out of carefully fabricated plans, but out of fear? It seemed impossible. Her mind was still spinning when he went quiet, and she didn't notice his pause until he held her arm.

Her eyes snapped to his, completely unused to anyone initiating contact with her. Her mind went blank with his words and his smile, and she found herself completely paralyzed. Her team had never been touchy with her, nor did they voice any of their confidence in her. The most she'd get from them was a "good job" or "that went well" when they won a match. To have someone look at her, so brightly and sure of the words, felt unnatural.

Ofelia yanked herself out of her stupor after Kenzo spoke again, slapping his already retreating hand away. There was a reason she'd never let herself get close to her teammates, she reminded herself. A reason why they were distanced and cold to her. It had worked for long enough, and she wasn't about to go changing that. She didn't want to be soft to others. She was the tough, unyielding leader that her team needed. She sat on a pedestal above the others, unwavering and steady, and forever untouchable. Appealing to her with kind words wasn't going to change that now.

"I don't need your pity or your kindness," she snapped, "It has nothing to do with my being 'ready' and everything to do with facing a God. We'd be fools to catch his attention now." She fixed her posture, her eyes returning to their familiar glare. The children called her name from the forest, but she didn't turn to look. She wanted Kenzo to react. To agree and give her that power, or to argue. To yell at her about how unreasonable she was being, how her attitude was beyond infuriating. Let him yell, she thought, because she wanted to scream back.

 

[Siren77]

Well.... at the very least he’d brought a little more of that fire back. Though it wasn’t exactly directed toward what he hoped it would. As usual, Kenzo was the punching bag for her harsher words, but he took the beatings as she talked and did his best to remain composed. Talking to him like he was an idiot wasn’t exactly his favorite thing in the world, and it did hurt ever so slightly. Clearly agitation was shining through. He’d made a promise not to fight about their plan, but the subject of her treatment of him was a different story.

Kenzo tried to keep his voice calm, but there was an edge to it as he began speaking again. Those dull grey eyes of his were burning with the rage within him.

“And I supposed you’d rather I treat you like an enemy? Or would you rather the spiteful tones of your previous teammates?” The edge was sharpening, “What I do is not out of pity, I’m merely trying to be a support during all of this bullshit that we’ve had to go through. The least you could do is provide the same courtesy, Ofelia!” His anger was getting the better of him. “Or at the very *fucking* least not treat me like some brainless mutt that can’t think for himself!”

His voice rang out with that final sentence, with only his deep breathing uttering from his throat for a moment. He wouldn’t look away, his eyes intently glaring at Ofelia’s.

“We’re already fools for carrying out this mission on our own. And that’s fine by me. But the second you start acting like a coward, that takes their paranoia out on everyone around them as you are now, is when you become an even greater fool than that. It’s time you realize who your allies and enemies are Ofelia. Because right now your aggression is directed at the wrong people.”

This throat felt dry, and his vocal cords tired. Speaking as it is for longer durations wore him out as it is, let alone shouting as he just had been. For now he’d said enough. The inner emotions that had been bottled up for the past few days had finally been aired out, and there was no taking them back. Kenzo felt a little shame for some of what he’d said, but after being berated for so long, it felt good to finally do some of the shouting.

 

[icarusburning]

Ofelia, if anything, was happy that Kenzo responded with rage. His words hurt, but she was used to it. It felt familiar. It was the dynamic that she was used to and something that she'd grown all too accustomed to dealing with. She'd rather argue, she thought, than open up.

Still, his words stung, especially as he spoke the truth. She knew that she should be angry at Obatala, not Kenzo. That she could still doubt the townsfolk without ignoring and avoiding them. Her behaviour was unacceptable and out-of-control.

She opened her mouth to yell back when she froze, a sudden thought coming to her head. She'd been so quick to yell at her team- to berate them when they stood up to her, to throw their weaknesses back in their face to keep them level. But, in the end, Awiti had been strong enough. She could have helped, she hadn't been injured. She wasn't as weak as she had thought, but she had looked Ofelia in the eyes as she killed herself. Ofelia's harsh words hadn't helped Awiti, they had broken her.

Kenzo didn't need her anger. He didn't need to yell or scream or blame anyone for his troubles. He needed someone to support him, to stand by his side. Someone to grab his arm when he was scared, to tell him that they believed in him, too. He needed someone to treat him like he was attempting to treat Ofelia, and Ofelia knew that she wouldn't be able to give that to him.

"I'm not a coward," she hissed, more to herself than to Kenzo, "Don't talk about my teammates again, and don't tell me where my anger goes. If you really believe in me, then just listen to me and don't ask anything of me." She took a few steps away, ready to storm back into the forest and away from him when she stopped again. Support. He needed support.

"I'd rather go and fight Obatala alone than fail my team again," she told him, "I know who my allies are, and they're not going to die on me."