Not sure if Ill ever finish or even properly begin this thing but I was, struck with an idea, I may be onto something boss
It started with me loosely thinking about this idea and then the arc similarities between Thorn and Nine and then something something story something something Thorn is attempting to Feelings Talk to an emotionally distraught Nine and I haven't yet worked out if I want her to succeed or not
Obviously, this late for @nines-week Day 3: Nothing Alike
"No, no shut up. We are nothing alike."
Nine interrupted her with tangible anger rising through his clipped tone as his metal tails twitched. "You don't know anything about me, you don't get to stand there and sympathize with a made up version of me to make yourself feel better. I refuse to let that happen again."
Thorn tightened the grip on her mallet and almost instinctually shifted her stance in case the worst came to pass, but paused midway. Though she had confidence in winning any possible one on one fight with the fox, that wasn't what she came here to do. Unfortunately, she wasn't particularly giving off that vibe with a weapon half trained on him and almost ready to strike.
She held his death glare for a second, breath stuck in anticipation, until — against every better instinct in her body — she exhaled, relaxed her shoulders, and let the mallet fall from her hands to the grass bellow.
Nine flinched back, and one of his metal tails actually shot upward just above his shoulder while his blue eyes darted between the weapon and its former wielder, standing still as a statue.
Ok on second thought, maybe doing it so suddenly wasn't the best way to go about it, and tossing away your weapon is sure a good way to make you open for getting killed easier, but something told her Nine wasn't a killer, or even somebody looking to hurt people any chance he got.
Then she looked at him, really looked at him. Not as an enemy or a friend or even a face she mildly recognized, and quickly saw someone young, terrified and lonely.
Nine was unpredictable yes, antagonistic definitely, and what he's done to the Shatterverse won't be easily forgiven or forgotten by many but.... Nowhere in those shrunken pupils was a person deserving of being called a monster.
None of the carnage he caused felt as personal as what Thorn had done to her friends.
She only had the privilege of keeping it within their respective world and between each other. She'll forever remain thankful that they'd even considered forgiving her, let alone put the whole thing behind them as if it never happened.
But now wasn't the time for reminiscing, Nine looked just about ready to bolt — if those increasingly flattening ears were anything to go by — and Thorn had to use this moment to it's full potential.
