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~Enid Sinclair~
She was here on a whim. A whim brought upon by the cutest and decidedly fluffiest bee plushie she ever laid her eyes or hands on. She would even go as far as to say that it was in the top 5 of all her owned plushies in that category.
She knew because she checked. Extensively. Anyways… Those tiny little things arranged by fate or whatever forces guided her life led her to witness a one-sided conversation.
"It should have been me. I should be the one lying there, Eugene."
She felt slightly guilty for using her enhanced senses to eavesdrop like this but at the same time, she thought that some clarity was the least she deserved for almost dying for her.
As per usual, there was very little inflection in her ex-roomie's voice. The content of her words spoke volumes though.
"I made headway in my quest to avenge you. It cost me the trust and goodwill of my roommate as well as the privilege to live alongside her."
She began to understand why she was so hellbent on her investigation. It was because she felt guilty for what happened to Eugene. 'Great... Now I feel like a jerk.' She groused.
"That is in actuality a fortuitous event."
Enid's brows furrowed and she fought to keep her teeth from gnashing as tears rose in her eyes. 'Nevermind. All the good will is gone.'
"If she refuses to associate with me, she won't be in danger any longer."
'What kind of hellish emotional rollercoaster is this?!' She screamed on the inside as warmth bloomed in her chest. She hugged the bee close to herself to keep her emotions contained.
"She is too fragile to follow alongside me and for some inexplicable reason, I am not inclined to corrupt her light and joy. It feels like desecrating something so sacred, not even an Addams would dare."
'Mixed feelings about that one... Though that has to be one of the most romantic things anyone's ever said about me.' She admitted to herself and fought back the rising blush on her cheeks.
"My ancestor and spiritual guide warned me. She told me the path of a raven is one of solitude. That we are cursed to spend our lives miserable and alone. I suppose she was right."
A frown nestled between her brows. Usually, she was too scared of ghosts to confront one but this time, she'd make an exception. This Ancestor of hers deserved a good and proper scolding.
How dare she tell such lies to Wednesday. She firmly believed everyone deserved people who appreciated them for themselves. Raven or not, Wednesday was worth all the love and affection she could give.
"If all I can see is death and destruction, so be it. I relish in carnage and I thrive through violence. However… I wouldn't want to tarnish the light of those important to me with my woe."
There was a pause in her speech. As if she was gathering herself. The fact that her voice was uncharacteristically soft when she continued supported that fact. She had to strain her ears to continue listening.
"I... I also have a feeling this quest for vengeance will end in my death. While I hope it will be a spectacular one, I wouldn't want people to suffer and mourn me out of a misguided sense of camaraderie."
She carefully put the plushie down on the floor before her claws made an appearance. How dare she... How dare she talk about her death so casually! 'That's it. She's clearly not fit to live alone.' With her decision made, she turned on her heels and left.
Later, Wednesday would meet one of Eugene's mothers who was confusedly holding the plush bee in her hands, looking around for someone who could have left it there. She would think nothing of it.
~Wednesday Addams~
Kinbott was an incompetent hack of never before seen proportions. Her degree was almost certainly either bought or an outright sham, no matter what her sources told her.
That said... She did have some inexplicable moments of clarity. Talking helped. After borderline ranting to the comatose form of Eugene, she felt lighter. More focused.
Intent to use that newfound clarity, she hurried back to Nevermore. As she neared the door to her room, she slowed down. There were sounds coming from the room.
Her mind began to race with possibilities. The lock didn't seem damaged, hinting at the fact that whoever entered was either exceedingly gifted in the art of lock picking or had a key on themselves.
Those possibilities split further. Enid searching for another lost item. Someone having broken in to either prepare traps or search the room. Someone stealing the only other key besides Thornhill's universal one from Enid's stiff fingers...
The last thought made bile rise in her throat as it was pushed upwards by the growing feeling of wrath in her stomach. She forcefully calmed down and armed herself with a small hidden blade before opening the door carefully.
What she found was not at all what she expected. Her facial features went uncharacteristically slack when her eyes registered what her brain failed to compute.
Half the room was suddenly more colourful than ever. All the items that were carried to Yoko's room suddenly made their way back into her space, seemingly gleaming with vengeful, chromatic light.
In front of that scene, there was Enid, her fists firmly placed on her hips and her whole posture screaming smug contentness. 'What in the seven Hells is going on?...' She asked herself and failed to find a satisfactory answer.
The walking colour-stain turned around with a fierce grin on her lips, apparently having noticed her already. Likely before she even entered, thanks to her rather sharp senses.
"Howdy, Roomie!"
She greeted her with an aggressively joyful tone in her voice that made her wary. She stared at her for a minute. Then two. Nothing changed beyond Enid's cheeks twitching from keeping up the grin.
"You know, usually if you're being greeted, you return it. You know, like a courteous person would."
Her stare morphed just slightly, communicating her incredulousness and apparently, Enid was capable of reading it because she began to snicker.
"Yeah, I noticed the moment the words left my mouth. Nevermind. Welcome back! How was your visit in the hospital?"
The innocent question sent alarm bells ringing into her head. Her eyes narrowed.
"How do you know where I was?"
The glare that sent grown men running and made psychopaths think twice before crossing her only made Enid grin as she leaned forward with her hands behind her back.
"It was either the hospital or the Hummer's shed. You weren't at the latter so obvi, you were visiting Eugene. Beyond your investigation, there's little else you do recently."
She didn't know what to think about becoming so predictable. That was a lie. She knew exactly what to think.
She despised the fact and would go to great lengths to rectify her behaviour. There were more important things to discuss at the moment however.
"Why are you here?"
She bluntly asked, conjuring an innocent smile that fooled no one onto Enid's lips.
"This is my room as well, you know? I'm allowed to be here if I want to be."
Frustration bubbled up in her stomach, replacing the resting wrath handily.
"You made it incessantly clear that that's not the case anymore."
She almost twitched, hating how much more bitter she sounded than she'd expected. Enid winced before taking a breath and looking after her seriously.
"Look, fair... But! I want to make one thing very clear. I didn't leave because I don't want to be here."
She opened her mouth to refute this idiotic logical fallacy when she was cut off by a surprisingly sharp glare from the usually bubbly and joyful girl. Her mouth snapped close from surprise.
"If you let me explain, it will make sense."
She promised evenly and Wednesday found herself nodding. What was happening?
"I recently came to a startling conclusion. You are socially completely inept. I know, I know. I should have known that way earlier, but it just didn't click the way it did after I put some thought into it."
She blinked.
"Did the chemical fumes from all those colours you insist on inflicting on your hair finally eradicate your last few brain cells?"
She asked out of misplaced worry and received an exasperated look for her trouble.
"Okay, rude. But expected. Look, what I want to say is that all I wanted was an apology. I'm not even mad about the near-death experience. I expected as much when you invited me out, actually."
Another blink. This was escalating quickly and she needed to put a stop to it. Before she could take drastic measures, Enid continued babbling.
"What I'm mad about is the manipulation. The way you felt it necessary to get my hope up only to crush it like an insect beneath your plateaued shoes when all you had to do was ask."
The earnest expression in her clear, ocean blue eyes took the fight out of her and robbed her of her ability to breathe. Drastic measures would have to wait until she recovered, making her helpless against Enid's relentless storm of attacks.
"You see… I actually like it here. I like you. Despite all those layers of thorns and poison you cover yourself in, or maybe because of them, I find myself enjoying your company more than anyone's."
She stepped closer, slightly hesitant for the first time since Wednesday entered the room. The closer she moved, the more clearly she could see the storm of emotions in her eyes.
She didn't want to be witness to it but like a disastrous train crash or an awe-inspiring hurricane, this catastrophe too drew her gaze and refused to release it.
"With you, I feel I can be myself. No masks, no bullshit. Just plain ol' Enid. There's no need to be happy all the time. To push the bitterness and the frustration away. You give me an outlet instead."
She reached out, her hands slowly closing in on her own. For some reason, she was frozen. Unable to move away as a soft but firm hold encased them.
"I really like that and I genuinely consider you one of the most important people in my life. But... If we are supposed to work, you'll have to take a step too. It can't all come from me. You need to let me in."
She implored. Wednesday wanted to deny her. To cruelly push her away, but... She failed to get a single word out. Not while those disturbingly expressive eyes held her own hostage.
"What... What makes you think I would want such a connection."
She managed to ask. Her voice was almost flat, hiding the turmoil rather well. It was for naught since she failed to deceive Enid. She could see it in the triumphant gleam in her eyes.
They flicked downwards and Wednesday instinctively followed her gaze. She found her own hands betraying her by clutching Enid's. Such humiliation. She ought to cut them off for this unforgivable treachery.
"No self mutilation under my watch."
The Lycan mumbled, proving that she knew her far too well. It was rare for anyone to be able to trace her thoughts like this, beyond family that was. She forced her eyes up to meet Enid's again.
She shouldn't have. Once more, she was caught in a Maelstrom. A twisting, chaotic torrent binding her and leaving her helpless as she was drawn into the depths of the dark ocean without any means to navigate.
Idly, she wondered if it was possible to drown in another's emotions... She was intimately aware of the fact that their hands were still connected and against all her instincts, she wanted to keep it so.
She also wanted to eradicate the source of the suddenly rising anxiety in Enid's eyes but before she could offer it was replaced, or rather accompanied, by determination.
"I am speaking of trust... I don't wanna deceive you. I refuse to build upon this without you knowing everything. Well, here goes nothing…"
She took a deep breath, fortifying herself before several words were catapulted ou of her mouth by the force of an explosive exhale.
"The reason for my epiphany is a plushy little insect."
Her confession didn't make much sense without context but it took her merely a moment to connect the dots. 'She heard me. She witnessed my vulnerable moment with the comatose Eugene...' She wanted to feel betrayed but failed to muster the emotion.
The fact that she told her this despite knowing that she wouldn't take well to the revelation and even expected her to lash out if the sudden tightness in her expression was to be judged... It was brave. Brave and...
"Foolish. You are utterly foolish to expose this deed to me. Your honesty is a weakness. I would have been none the wiser if you simply...-"
She was cut off by a tight squeeze of her hands.
"No."
Enid confidently claimed, making Wednesday frown.
"What do you mean, no. You cannot simply deny my words without elaborating. Explain yourself."
She demanded, frustration seeping into her voice like an insidious venom. Enid answered with a smile, robbing her of the ability to move even a single muscle. It was different when compared to her usual expressions of joy.
It wasn't incessantly bright and artificially optimistic. Instead, it was exceedingly subtle. Barely even there and yet, it conveyed an almost uncomfortable level of intimacy. It made her eyes glitter like the sun shining down on the ocean for the first time after a heavy storm.
For some reason, she didn't want to wipe it off her lips with a fruitful bout of constructive violence. Alarmingly, the opposite was the case. Something began to fester in the back of her mind.
It took her a moment to realise that Enid woke an obsession in her. She wanted to preserve this smile. To carve it off her face, untouched and permanent. Like a majestic beast immortalised by the hallowed art of taxidermy.
If that should predictably prove impossible, then she would have to work her hardest to replicate it. To paint it onto those lips again and again, as often as she could by any means necessary.
Not privy to the increasingly erratic and somewhat dark turn of Wednesday's borderline-psychotic mind, Enid opted to answer her demand with casual honesty.
"I refuse to build any relationship upon a lie. I like you too much to lose you if you ever found out. And knowing how brilliant you are, it's only a matter of time."
The smile deepened without outwardly changing. She didn't know how she realised as much. Only that she did. Her mind went along, diving after it. The deeper she went, the more her sudden obsession intensified.
"I trust you. Probably foolishly so, but that's just me being me, right? The ever-optimistic bubblegum-pink idiot. Trusting you also means facing uncomfortable truths and situations together."
That claim distracted her slightly. It… did? That was news to her... If that was a prerequisite, would she need to prattle incessantly about her nonexistent emotions as well? She dearly hoped not. She wouldn't know what to say.
"The uncomfortable truth is... I eavesdropped. Accidentally at first, but I stayed, thinking you owed me an explanation for your actions anyway. I exploited a moment of your weakness and wasn't even woman enough to tell you at first."
A firm, serious expression was now plastered onto her features, chasing away the smile and irrationally infuriating her in the process. She was helpless against what was happening.
The deep-seated desire to make it reappear was rewriting her hind brain, nestling into it like the instinctive need to breathe. She craved this smile like her lungs craved oxygen.
"Only afterwards did I decide that this sooo isn't the person I wanna be. There you have it. I swear I'll make it up to you. You can lay into me now. I'd ask to keep your knives to yourself though..."
She glared at the colourful girl still physically connected to her by their hands. She seemed resigned to her fate.
"That smile. Bring it back. Conjure it onto your lips this very instant."
Enid, clearly not expecting her answer, blinked with an astonished expression.
"Wha?..."
This imbecile refused to comprehend her words. She wouldn't have it. Pulling her hands free, she used them to mold the corners of Enid's lips to her desires and yet, she failed to reproduce the expression.
The girl, so surprised by the action that she failed to react for several precious yet devastatingly insufficient moments, laughed disbelievingly as she stared at her with wide eyes.
"Wends... What's going on? Why are you... Stop squishing my face and talk to me!"
She finally had enough and caught her hands again. She tried to stay stern but failed utterly, a helpless grin pushing onto her lips. It wasn't quite what she demanded but it was adequate enough to calm her for the moment.
"What are you doing, Wends? You never touch me out of your own accord... Did something happen? Besides this whole, you know… thing?"
She awkwardly finished, the grin disappearing in favour of a worried frown. Unacceptable.
"You claimed you will make it up to me. That's how. I demand that you bring back that smile."
She mulishly told her, ignoring her inquiry in favour of addressing the paramount issues at the moment, sending the blonde into confusion once more.
"What do you mean? I kinda always smile? It's, like, literally part of my personality?"
A passionate scowl worked itself onto her lips as she glared at the oblivious beast.
"I do not mean that shallow, insipid facsimile of the expression that has less depth than those small idiotic pictures you are so determined to attach to every single line you write."
She looked at her with such a lack of comprehension, it threatened to infect her brain.
"Shallow? What? I'm literally always...-"
Quick as a viper, her hands came free again and latched onto her collar to draw her closer. She ignored the startled squeak as she forcefully caught the girl's gaze.
"Not a single one of your public smiles has meaning. They are surface level expressions to cater to the masses of brainless adolescents and dismissive adults you for some reason crave attention from."
She told her clearly what she thought, causing a stricken look in her eyes alongside tears she certainly wasn't aiming for for a change. Undeterred, she continued.
"That expression sickens me. It's contrived, forced onto your lips like an unnatural mask. As if you were hoping that if you just smile enough, you will one day believe what you are attempting and failing to convey."
Some time during her verbal assault, they began to move. Enid lost her balance as she stumbled backwards after bumping against her bed, yelping as she landed on it and squawking when Wednesday didn't stop moving.
She crawled onto her lap, looming over her now flushed and utterly perplexed features as she continuously enforced eye contact, Enid's bewilderment stemming her tears.
"What I demand is not that shallow expression. That hollow, meaningless replica of emotion. What I crave is the stark imprint you left on my soul with nothing but a subtle twist of your lips and the boundless depth in your eyes."
She explained herself as well as she could, eliciting a helpless expression from the panicked Lycan. Flustered and stiff beneath her, she gestured wildly with her hands as she answered.
"I- I have no idea what you're saying! Believe me when I say: I'd smile at you like you want to in a heartbeat if I could but it doesn't work like that! Emotions don't work like that!"
Suspiciously, she continued to observe her increasingly rosy features for any sign of deceit and finding none. Finally, she huffed and decided to cut her losses for now.
"Very well. In that case, I shall make it my life's mission to replicate the expression on your features. Be warned that I will not let trivial things such as morals and laws influence my actions."
She turned to leave, ignoring the clamouring Lycan behind her.
"Wait, Wends! We have a conversation to finish! Can I move back in?! Wait… What do you mean by that?! At least obey some laws and morals! Wends!"