Harmonia is in the living room, a shotgun on her lap, watching tv and passively waiting for the threat Violet had warned about.
---
When Violet wakes up, still within the arm, she realizes that she could no longer move her body. Her forehead hurts and she swears she can feel things moving around within her skull. They are still moving, but slowly now. The arm stops suddenly, then Violet feels it leap and latch on to the side of... something.
“What the world… what did they do…”
Strawberry's legs have split into four pieces each. She follows behind the arms, keeping up with spider-like movements. Gen is trailing behind a ways, but she is still chasing after Strawberry, Grass and Violet. Suddenly, the arm Violet is in stops again. She feels it shift, as it climbs on top of something.
Violet can hear the faint sounds of a TV, as sound is amplified somehow.
“HEY! WHAT IS GOING ON!”
Suddenly, Violet hears the sound of glass breaking. She can't see anything. The arm moves about a bit, readying itself for... something.
---
Harmonia sits up, cocking her shotgun. Something can be heard scuttling around in another part of the cottage. Harmonia slowly and as silently as possible, starts walking to it. Something shoots past Harmonia's feet, something small, like a mouse. She follows, trying to aim at it. It hurries under the couch, then goes silent. A finger with an eyeball on the end slowly extends out from under the couch. She tries to shoot it! It yanks back in, and squeals like a rodent. The scuttling sound returns, it is close behind Harmonia. She turns around, aiming her shotgun.
An arm with an eye where the wrist should be is hanging from the ceiling by metallic legs that come from where the shoulder should be. It is very round and something is moving around within it. Harmonia can hear screaming coming from within the arm. SHE FUCKING SCREAMS AS WELL THEN TRIES TO SHOOT IT. It leaps toward Harmonia, taking the blow but knocking her down anyway. The screaming within the arm increases and then quiets a bit. Violet feels her connection to Grass fading for some reason.
Harmonia groans and tries to smack it away with the shotgun. It latches on with the metallic legs and begins to lower the wrist portion down toward Harmonia's face. The blows don't seem to be affecting it. Harm can feel whatever is inside moving around.
"GOD FUCKING-" She throws the gun aside and tries to grab it, claws out. A long needle slowly emerges from the eye. She screams and tries to hold the wrist away, like pushing it away. While she's distracted by the arm, the hand crawls out from under the couch and leaps onto her shoulder. Needles instantly emerge from the fingertips and stab Harmonia. She screams, panicking as she tries to hold back the arm with one hand and grab the hand with her other hand. She starts to feel very sleepy. Your arms are losing strength.
She keeps trying to fight but is obviously losing steam. "ROXY! CLAIRE!" She screams as loud as she can. She's able to toss the hand aside, but it returns and leaps onto your face and injects you again. Harm suddenly feels very strong... but happy. The arm falls away from you, having completely given up on stabbing you. She giggles a little, trying to pull the hand off. The arm scuttles to the front door and opens it by wrapping around the knob. The hand is attached hard. She can't see, but you have a strong urge to go outside. Harmonia can feel her legs guiding her to the door.
She walks outside, dazed and giggling a bit. The arm follows Harmonia out, shuts the door and then begins to climb up the side of the cabin.
Harmonia can hear a strange voice say, "Hello, Harmonia! I'm so happy to finally meet you!"
"Hi... who are you?" The hand drops off so she can see. Before her stands a lady in red, with red hair pinned up in a beehive shape. She is missing her arms, and is elevated above the ground by eight thin legs. She is smiling. Harmonia can't see her eyes beneath her sunglasses.
"I am Auntie's favorite.", she replies.
"Who is Auntie?"
"Oh, you will know soon enough. We are going to visit her." Harm feels her legs guiding her toward this... creature.
"Are you the one Violet warned me about?"
She laughs. "Of course." Harm's legs are begging for her to walk forward. She takes a step toward Harmonia.
She takes a step towards her. "What do you want from me?"
"Auntie needs the goddess back... It wasn't Ashen's to give."
"She gave it? Im confused..."
"Do you not remember your trip to the spa?"
"So she was lying when she said I was a chosen vessel since childhood"
Violet tries to scream for help, seeing if anyone could hear. Strawberry is silent for a moment before answering, "That doesn't matter. Things have changed. You're not as special as you believe you are... as she believes you are!" Harmonia's legs start propelling her forward automatically. Grass feels more and more distant by the second. Violet feels Grass reaching toward her in her mind, but she can't quite make it. She is what feels like inches from reaching and communicating with Violet.
Harmonias breathing is shaky. "So how are you going to get it out?" Violet tries to escape, punching away at the arm. Her movements are slow. It doesn't do much of anything.
"Unfortunately... The baby has matured enough to start replacing your nervous system... We'll remove it carefully, but you still won't survive the procedure."
"Baby?? Am- WHAT-"
Strawberry lurches for Harmonia and wraps her body around her waist like a snake. Her sunglasses fall off, revealing a set of yellow lights deep within empty sockets. The lights scan Harmonia's head. "Yep, there's the bastard."
Strawberry tightens her grip, the hand picks up her sunglasses and scuttles up Harmonia's legs to return them to Strawberry's face, then she begins to lift Harm off the ground.
"LET GO- HELP SOMEONE HELP PLEASE-"
The arm carrying Grass looks up to the roof. The arm carrying Violet waves. Strawberry had a good hold on Harmonia. She begins to walk away, heading North East. The arm with Grass in it follows. The other arm waits a bit then leaps from the roof and follows them too. Gen is almost to the cottage now. She spots it and hopes she is not too late.
----
Claire, Roxy, and Orpheus have no idea what's happening upstairs due to the loud whirring of the computers. Claire finishes typing some stuff about Nammu into one of the computers and looks to Roxy.
"Is Harmonia still upstairs?"
"I don't know, probably." Roxy says, wiring some monitors together.
"It sure would be useful to have super hearing due to my large, animalistic ears in order to hear over these obnoxious computers!" Orpheus chuckles. "Joke targeted at friends aside, uhh.. Want me... to go check on her? Since I'm not really doin anything down here."
"Sure," Claire smiles, "Can you get me something to drink from the fridge while you're up there? I think you know my drink of choice," she chuckles, flashing her fangs for a second.
He chuckles, getting up. "Sure, I can do that." He begins walking upstairs, hands in his pockets. Gen arrives at the house and begins pounding on the door.
"... Hm. That's..." He pulls out his phone, staring at the door.
---
ORPHEUS: So, she's not here and there's broken glass and a shotgun
ORPHEUS: Lmao
ORPHEUS: Also someone's at the door. so
ORPHEUS: If I scream
ORPHEUS: Yknow
ORPHEUS: ;]
ROXY: ??!?!?!?!?!? What rhe fuck
ROXY: Ok uh. I'll
ROXY: Do you need assistance at all
ROXY: Claires probably not gonna like this at all lol
ROXY: Uh
ROXY: Do I. tell her
ORPHEUS: I mean I dount this is Harmonia at the door
ORPHEUS: Look gimme like
ORPHEUS: 2 seconds
ORPHEUS: I'll yell if needed
ROXY: Gotchu
---
Gen knocks harder. Orpheus sighs, keeping a hand on something in his pocket. He stands right next to the door, clearing his throat loudly. "WHAT'S THE PASSWORD?"
"Please, you have to open up! A monster is coming to take one of your friends!"
Orpheus looks around. "Y'know. I think you're like a minute late, buddy." He opens the door, but blocks the way so Gen would have to like. Push him. To get in.
A very disheveled young woman in dirt-covered overalls takes a moment to catch her breath. "What? No... Can you help me save them then? They have my girlfriend too... I mean, my friend."
"..." He looks her up and down. "Well-" He sighs, facepalming. "You look deranged enough. I believe you." He turns towards the basement door. "CLAAAAIRE, ROXYYYY, THERE'S A DERANGED LESBIAN WHO'S GIRLFRIEND GOT KIDNAPPED AND HARM'S GONE TOO"
Claire runs up the stairs faster than Roxy can teleport next to Orpheus. Roxy's hands are glowing and Claire is vibrating. Gen looks them all over for a moment, before speaking. "I think I know where they went... but we'll have to hurry."
"I can teleport," Roxy says.
"Do you know where the Lavender Tower in your veil is?"
"I have no idea what half of those words are to be completely honest"
Orpheus pulls a switchblade out of his pocket, spinning it around between his fingers, "Oh my god of course the gays got took to Lavender Tower. Hold on let me" He pulls his phone out again.
"No! Where the colonizing Naomi congregate! I can give you the coordinates."
"Oh thanks."
"A4Z-99.8654, RZN-199.66548. You have to use the quantum coordinates, or it will not be there..."
Orpheus is struggling so bad.
"WHat does that MEAN," Claire sobs
"Just... Follow me... It isn't far!"
"OK WHATEVER." Orpheus HUFFS. Gen dashes off north east. Orpheus fucking SPRINTS AFTER HER. Roxy picks up Claire and starts teleporting after em!
---
When Strawberry arrives, she enters the lobby and demands the tower be put into lockdown, active immediately. They take one look at the morphed version of Strawberry, and obey without question. The hand and arms follow closely behind, as they board the elevator.
Shes just. yeah. "Anyway I can convince you to not do this?"
"Not a chance, bitch.", she says smugly. Violet is just crying in the arm, unsure of what is going to happen or what is happing now.
Harmonia just sighs. "Whatever." She felt.. exhausted. Who cares anymore. If she died she died. They reach the top floor, and all of them enter the room. The lobby below was very maintained, but this room is a stark contrast. Dust covers every wall and trash is all over the floor. Movement can be heard in the walls and ceiling.
"And now we wait for the others.", says Strawberry. The arms open up, revealing Violet and Grass. Grass is bleeding purple from various places on her body. She appears to be sleeping. Violet feels very sluggish. It's hard to move. Harmonia stares, the emotions in her brain conflicting against one another between the drugs and her natural emotions. Violet falls to the floor as she trys to crawl to Grass and hold her. Strawberry's grip on Harmonia remains tight.
"Grass? Harmonia?" Violet turns her head to Grass "Please... wake up. Please... be ok..."
"Im sorry..." Harmonia says softly, looking at Grass. Grass remains motionless, but she is breathing. Violet hugs her, hoping for any sign of her healing as she looks to why she was needed here.
"You brain is weird, Violet. Why do you have so many images of flowers?", asks Strawberry. The others will have arrived at the tower by this point.
Harmonia huffs. "Are you gonna kill me or not??"
"What do you mean? What were you looking at!" Violet tries to stand
Strawberry laughs. "Like I could kill you... Nah, Auntie Raga will be conducting tonight's surgery." Violet looks to Strawberry and try to blink at her and do the funky thing. Violet's eye goes dark, as Strawberry screams.
"I used your brain to find this fucking bitch.", Strawberry nods to Harmonia.
Violet looks to Strawberry, "Then why did you need me, other than looking for Harmonia!?"
"I didn't... but I was afraid you would get in the way, so I brought you to her."
----
The Basement Gang arrives at the Lavender Tower at the fucking Gulf of Guinea. The lady at the desk eyes them carefully. She seems terrified, but not by the group. Roxy walks up to the desk.
"Bring us to Harmonia Iris Reeds."
"Who?"
"MY WIFE," Claire says, vibrating. Orpheus is fucking panting because he ran here while Roxy CHEATED and TELEPORTED.
Gen winks at the lady at the desk. "Where are we meeting tonight? My link was severed by that idiot, Plumb. The hunting group was after him, and targeted me by mistake."
The lady at the desk swallows hard. "Are you sure?", she asks.
Gen slams her hand on the desk. "Do you want to keep her waiting?"
"Top floor."
"Wait... Oh Mara... Thank you..."
Gen walks off toward the elevator without waiting for the others. Orpheus runs after her. Roxy teleports to the elevator, holding Claire by the arm. The elevator climbs to the top floor.
---
When the doors open, Strawberry turns around and smiles. "Looks like the fuck-wads are all here."
"Who you callin' fuckwad, clitblister?" Roxy puts her hand on her hip with a smirk.
Strawberry leaps for the nearest wall, and begins to climb toward the ceiling, all the while yelling, "shit-sniffer!", in different languages
Roxy takes fifteen point five steps forwards, "That's nice, you reprehensible fuck waffle." Orpheus looks around at who's even in the room, trying to decide who to murder and who to NOT murder.
Strawberry's jaw unhinges, and she swallows Harmonia whole, she says an insult before and after swallowing her. "Cunt-water...ass-munch" Strawberry continues up the wall.
"Honestly the insults just write themselves when you literally vore someone." Roxy sighs.
"WHAHTHTHEUFCK?!?!??" Claire screams, her hands igniting
Orpheus is so confused. He's like a lost puppy looking between people. "What..."
Violet tries to hit Strawberry with vines, but Strawberry leaps out of the way, now more agile, since she isn't holding Harmonia with her body. Strawberry is now on the ceiling. She stops in the middle and begins to sing "Do You Believe In Love" by Craig David. Claire sets Strawberry on fire with her mind but Strawberry continues.
The pressure in the room changes.
Violet tries to impale Strawberry with vines to shut her up, but the vines phase through Strawberry. A hole on the ceiling appears and disappears rapidly.
Orpheus sighs and pulls out a fucking Walther P38 from his inner jacket pocket. "I'm so confused and disoriented." He tries to shoot Strawberry in one of her kneecaps. Strawberry is suddenly run over by something massive. Pieces of her fly everywhere... but there is no blood. Harmonia is nowhere to be seen.
Orpheus goes wide-eyed and shakes his gun in the direction of whatever had just happened. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!?!?!"
"This is like Jovian Hall but strangely funnier and also more dangerous honestly." Roxy shrugs, picking up and pocketing a piece of Strawberry. The Thing appears again, but now closer to those below. The thing is as wide as three school buses, and continues to grow in size as it descends. It's form changes hundreds of times, different forms of materials and metals shifting in and out of this reality.
It appears like a giant centipedes sometimes, coiled around everyone below, then it is above everyone again, in the form of a giant spider. It shifts again into a snake with the upper body of two women attached to the center. The two woman are holding Harmonia by the arms and legs. It is far above everyone again.
Two women now stand before the group. Harmonia is nowhere to be seen. They are solid purple, no hair or clothing, but their bodies are featureless. They look to Grass and Violet. Orpheus closes his eyes and grabs his face in frustraition because this is like genuinely giving him a migrane.
"Um... hello?" Violet asks.
"Why?", they say in unison.
"Why what?"
"Why do you weep, Dear?"
"Um well my girlfriend is on the ground bleeding and Harmonia is possibly going to die! So yea! That is why I weep!" They reach toward Grass and Violet in unison, and impale Grass. Gen screams, rushing at the two women. One of them changes their focus and impales her as well. Grass changes completely. She now resembles the person that Violet first met, before Grass was made her Purple Powderpuff
"GRASS!!!" Violet lets out a blood curdling scream as she runs to Grass. Gen explodes into a pile of mechanical parts, blood and tissue.
Grass returns to her Purple Powderpuff form. She does not have any injuries. "The complications have been removed. Rejoice, dear daughter of Lavender.", they say in unison.
"Grass...?"
"Violet? What happened?"
The women look to the others.
"Are you alright? You got impaled...?"
"Who did you bring us, little one?", they ask
"Yeah... I think I'm fine... Did I die?"
"I.... I don't know...." Violet gives her a big hug. Grass looks over to the two women and then hides her face in Violet's shoulder. She is trembling.
The women start walking toward Orpheus. Roxy is picking up pieces of Strawberry and collecting them
Orpheus looks up at the women. Claire is looks away, the air around her warm as her emotions completely envelop her.
The women stop in front of Orpheus. "Who are you?"
"Who am I? Who are you!"
"I am the last hope."
"Alright, Star Wars, what are you the last hope of?"
"For this world, the next to parish, and all others. Your kind are the problem. You are the reason... You all are pointless. Giving you all a chance at free-will was a mistake. That is why Mother must be exchanged for someone more fitting. A goddess."
"WHATEHFUCK DOES ANY OF THAT MEAN" Claire SOBS.
The women impale Orpheus. He turns into a child, but then begins to ripple through all of his life at random, before returning to normal. "I see. You will inherit the kingdom of Mara with us."
Orpheus goes through THAT and IMMEDIATELY collapses to the ground cackling. "What the FUCK was THAT HAHAHA????"
"I now know you, Orpheus. Thank you for sharing your life with us."
Roxy says, "Why did you look like a... yknow nevermind." She goes back to collecting Strawberry
Violet mutters under her breath, "Oh Mara... Let The Old Ways guide me..." The women disappear, reappearing on the ceiling as the snake with the upper bodies of the women at its center.
Orpheus stands back up, picking up his weapons and putting them away. "Looook ok can you, HHH ok I'm still REELING. Why, did like. That." He points to the chunks of meat Roxy is collecting. "Why did she steal the girl with butterfly wings??"
One of them now has Harmonia gripped tightly by the waist. The other grabs her head to steady her. Claire is sobbing too hard to notice. Violet tries to fly up to Harmonia, but returns to her wingless form and falls mid-flight. The woman holding Harmonia's head reaches into her mouth.
Orpheus gestures up towards the ceiling. "WHERE DID SHE EVEN" A sound of a blade piercing through flesh can be heard as a long, purple razor emerges on the back side of Harmonia's head. The woman then retracts the blade and pries open Harmonia's head like a jewelry box. She removes the brain, revealing a long, purple, serpentine-like creature wrapped around it. She reaches into the neck and carefully removes the rest of the serpent's body.
Orpheus looks at Claire. "Oh shit."
She throws Harmonia's body to the ground below.
"What the fuck," Roxy stares, chewing on a piece of Strawberry. Claire is still not looking. Violet just stares in horror.
Orpheus runs over to Harmonia's body. "Ohhh fuck. Wait. Wait wait." The women shift into hundreds of new forms, as they retract into the hole in the ceiling. The hole disappears and the room falls silent. "Wait, she can't. Come back from this, hold on..." He pulls out his phone and begins rapidly texting someone, a soft staticy white noise being heard.
---
[CHATLOG]:
[THRALL]: Oh, hello.
[ERIC]: This is like
[ERIC]: Urgent actually
[THRALL]: What? Did somet
[CONNECTION TERMINATED]
---
Grass is sobbing. "This is all my fault.", she forces through tears. Claire is silent and kneeling on the floor, not looking at Harmonia at all. Roxy walks up to Claire and sits, holding her. Claire's hands are burnt and her sleeves are charred.
Orpheus sighs and gets up, tapping Roxy on the shoulder.
"Yeah what's up?" Roxy asks, looking up and petting Claire as she sobs
He whispers to Roxy. "You can get back to the house alright, right? I'm going to hell for a while. For, obvious reasons."
"Uhh. Yeah, probably.. What should I do with.." Roxy points to Claire
"Tell her the obvious, dipshit!!! Demons don't stay dead for long."
"Ack okay!!!!" Roxy and Claire vanish.
"I... was selfish... I brought you into all of this without thinking... I'm sorry..." Grass is hyperventilating.
"It's... not your fault... it's all mine... I did this..." Violet is just staring with her one eye as she cries and closes her eyes. She... prays... prays to Mara.... prays to anyone who will listen to her cries... to help her long gone friend.
"NO, YOU WERE USED BECAUSE OF ME!", Grass begins coughing. She looks like she is about to get sick.
"THIS WAS BEFORE YOU! This... I am the reason why she is dead... I was the one who took her to that place... I knew there was danger... I did not see the long dangers..."
Grass closes her eyes and calms down. She looks in your eyes with determination and absolution, "Everyone blames you... Let me take the blame for this one." She isn't crying anymore
"Never Grass. You have nothing to do with this... I need to face my sins... look upon Mara as she will judge me for what I have done..."
"Mara can judge me. I accept the blame for everything..." Grass looks to the others. "I don't care what happens to me, just don't punish Violet for this. I'm done with running, I'm done with letting those I love suffer."
Violet looks dead in Grass's eyes
"Gianna. Perkuns. You are not to blame. And dont you ever take blame for some you have to control over. I PROMISED.... I promised Ashen I would keep you safe."
Grass' eyes widen, hearing that name was unexpected. Her eyes begin to tear up again. She hugs Violet with every bit of strength she has left. "Let's leave this place... I don't want to be here anymore."
"Wherever you want to go dear... I will be with you... together and forever..."
She glances at Gen's remains, her expression becoming brazen. "What should we do about..."
"We will give them a proper burial... it's the least we can do..."
Grass nods. "Let's go back to my apartment and pack... We can get what we need for Gen there..."
"Alright... lets go..." Violet look to where the women left before she turns to Grass for her to lead the way. Orpheus looks to Harm's body, standing up. Grass and Violet silently head back to the elevator and head down toward the apartments.
When they arrive at the apartment, Grass removes the picture of her and Gen from her dresser. She puts it with the things to bury Gen with. She wants to lay it upon the remains, a memory of what once was, not a memory of what is now.
---
ORPHEUS: Harm's like
ORPHEUS: Dead dead
ORPHEUS: Well
ORPHEUS: Dead (From Abaddon) Dead (from having her brain torn out by a naomi???)
ORPHEUS: But she's still got like
ORPHEUS: Another dead,
ORPHEUS: Afaik she should like
ORPHEUS: Be.
ORPHEUS: in gluttony
ORPHEUS: As like
ORPHEUS: a
ORPHEUS: fully fledged demon?
ORPHEUS: I don't. know
ORPHEUS: Just like
ORPHEUS: Yeah.
KADE: WHAT.
ORPHEUS: I dunno what you mean what
ORPHEUS: I've got like
ORPHEUS: The most splitting migraine of my life
ORPHEUS: and I had to relive like
ORPHEUS: My fuckin
ORPHEUS: childhood PLUS both of the times I had my entire front torso torn off
ORPHEUS: In like
ORPHEUS: 1 second
ORPHEUS: Which sucked and didnt help
ORPHEUS: But like
ORPHEUS: Whatever
ORPHEUS: Claire's probably doing bad so. Don't like harrass her or whatever
KADE: I'm talking about the HARMONIA DEAD
KADE: Are you alright? Who do I need to kill.
LUNA: ...what.
ORPHEUS: IDFK LUNA
LUNA: Wait hang on. Harmonia died?
ORPHEUS: YEAH her brain was REMOVED
KADE: What the fuck
LUNA: But logically she would be sent to Gluttony right?
ORPHEUS: Naomis are so fucking. weird what the hell even
ORPHEUS: WAS that
ORPHEUS: YEAH
ORPHEUS: that's where I'm going
ORPHEUS: RIGHT NOW
ORPHEUS: with her CORPSE
ORPHEUS: and why I called THRALL
ORPHEUS: but like
ORPHEUS: I wanted to let people know!!
ORPHEUS: she DIED!!!
ORPHEUS: so
LUNA: Thank you Orpheus
ORPHEUS: ALSO LIKE
ORPHEUS: PLEASE
ORPHEUS: WHAT THE FUCK
ORPHEUS: WAS
ORPHEUS: WHAT.
ORPHEUS: What even ARE Naomis this is so fuckin much
---
Orpheus picks up Harm's corpse and hefts up Harm's body. He uses the elevator to go back to the lobby and walks out the front door. Goodbye whatever the fuck that was!!
---
Violet grabs her presents from her birthday, medical supplies, change of clothes and anything else she might need, looking in the mirror at where her wings once were. They load everything onto Mudsmack
"Ready to go?" Violet asks. "Where do we even go?"
"Yeah.", Grass says blankly "Anywhere. Anywhere but here."