TRP: Goro, Pride, and Sam (Despicable)

LINA

[Setting: Day 404. Goro's bedroom.]

Goro turned all his locks and hunched down in a corner. He managed to unhook his bracelet and shove it in his mouth instead of biting his knuckles open.

He wondered if he oughta go... get help, or something. But he didn't wanna have to explain himself at all. Ever. Didn't wanna leave this room and have to tell people what happened.

After a while he pulled out his sending stone with shaking hands and told Sam he needed to talk to Pride. Then he crawled into bed and curled up under the covers, hugging a pillow. He wanted the weighted blanket but it was in Hansel's bed, where he'd last slept.

He tossed and turned fitfully for a long time.

IZZY

When he finally slipped into sleep, he heard lyre music. Slow and sweet and calming, accompanied by a baritone hum.

It was the sitting room, down the stairs from the boudoir. Sam sat against his demon, eyes closed, picking at the strings, while Pride hummed and watched Goro, waiting for him to wake.

LINA

Goro jumped, startled. He scrambled to get his feet up on the couch, crouching like he might wanna run away. He watched Pride warily.

IZZY

Pride stopped humming, which made Sam open his eyes, and they both looked at Goro -- Pride with mild confusion, Sam frowning in concern.

"Hey," he said. "What's wrong? You wanted to meet, right?"

LINA

Goro didn't say anything at first. He ground his teeth, hands clenching and unclenching in the fabric of his robes, looking between the two of them.

Finally, he locked eyes with Pride. "Are you making me into a demon? Did you do something to me?"

IZZY

Pride looked back at him. He blinked. "No. Is this something the insect put into your head?"

Sam looked between them, brow knit. He shifted his lyre out of his lap.

LINA

Goro whimpered and buried his face in his knees, shaking his head. He grabbed his hair in both hands and tugged it.

"Raef," he said. "Raef--ah. Ah." Fuckin' reading auras. It sounded so stupid. Pride was just gonna laugh at him.

IZZY

Sam glanced back at Pride again, then unfolded himself from their couch to cross over to Goro's. He didn't sit down, but offered Goro one hand and moved to not quite touch his shoulder with the other, like he wasn't sure which one he should do. "Hey, hey. It's all right. Hey." He hesitated, and a little more quietly, asked, "Do you ... want me to hug you? Is that okay?"

Pride was sharp-eyed and alert behind him.

LINA

Goro shook his head and curled up tighter. "Something's wrong with me," he managed. "I'm--I'm--Raef says--he says I feel like Anwyll?"

His throat was closing up. He swallowed.

IZZY

Sam sat next to him, carefully, hands still half outstretched, and looked to Pride, alarmed. He started to say something, but before anything could come out, Pride had stood -- smoothly but suddenly, like a snake striking.

"Have you met with him?" he asked sharply. "Have you made a deal with Lust?"

"Hey," Sam said softly, but forcefully.

Pride withdrew, slowly sitting back down, but his eyes were still fixed and intent on Goro.

LINA

"No," Goro said, still into his knees. "No. I fucking wouldn't. I never even talked to him."

Diva's father. Fucking hell.

IZZY

"Then your friend is mistaken," Pride said coolly. "Or lying to you."

"Why would he lie?" Sam asked in a murmur.

"I wouldn't know." Pride still sounded impassive. "No more than I understand why he chooses to serve my brother. Perhaps it's some plot of Lust's, and he is just a tool in it."

Sam made an unhappy sound. He touched Goro's back carefully.

LINA

"He wasn't lying!" Goro rocked himself back and forth a little, bumping into Sam's hand. "Something's wrong with me!"

He felt like he was gonna fucking throw up. Didn't know if he could even do that, here in the dream.

IZZY

Sam edged a little closer and rested his hand more firmly on Goro's back. He flicked another glance at Pride. "Okay. Hey. It's going to be okay. We'll figure it out."

When Pride had sat back down, he'd propped his elbow onto the back on the couch. He tapped his dulled golden claws against the leather upholstery and watched Goro with slitted eyes. "What did Raef tell you, exactly."

LINA

Goro knew he had to fucking calm down. If he couldn't explain, then he couldn't get answers, and he couldn't get help.

He focused on the sensation of Sam's hand on his back. He wanted to lean into it -- grab Sam, hide against him. But... he didn't know, really, if he should. If he was colluding with the fucking enemy, or whatever.

There wasn't any instance, in the time he'd known Sam, where he felt like Sam was lying to him or trying to trick him. If Pride was fucking with him, he didn't think Sam knew.

Still fucking scared him, though. And yet. Being totally alone scared him more.

Goro uncrumpled himself a little and leaned toward Sam.

IZZY

Sam moved in closer and tentatively put his arm around Goro's shoulders, giving him a testing pull to see if Goro would lean in more, still frowning in concern.

LINA

Goro leaned against Sam, still jerky and tense, staring at the floor. He felt like biting something. Drove him nuts that he couldn't escape that, even in dreams.

He remembered how Hansel had gently offered up his belt for Goro to bite down on last time he was this upset. Goro ached to have Hansel with him, but he didn't wanna fucking tell him.

"Mm." Goro wrenched his jaw apart, and it hurt just like in real life. "He said... my aura was wrong. He said I'm gonna be a Sin like you and Lust. He said he could feel Anwyll in me. But I never talked to Anwyll." His voice pitched high there at the end, panicky, since he was worried Pride wasn't gonna believe him.

IZZY

Sam rubbed his shoulder and looked to Pride.

The demon tapped his fingers on the couch again. Then he stood, circled the coffee table, and knelt down on the floor in front of Goro. He unfurled his claws under Goro's chin, but didn't touch him.

"Look at me," he commanded.

LINA

Goro did.

IZZY

Pride held his chin -- firmly, but careful to not scratch him.

"You may find this distressing," he said evenly.

LINA

"Mm." Goro grabbed Sam's arm.

IZZY

Pride stared into Goro's eyes -- his own that liquid, shimmery gold with no discernible iris or pupil.

Steadily, though, other things did become discernible to Goro.

Behind Pride, the balcony door was open, and stars glimmered in the crepuscular blue-gray sky. They had always been there, the same way they had always been in the real sky, twinkling overhead every night Goro slept on the streets as a child. They were different from the stars Goro knew -- the Mask constellation wasn't visible, and neither were any of the constellations Hansel had taught him, the pathfinding constellation and the ones with stories behind them. But they were stars nonetheless, a familiar and friendly sight, the dark especially welcoming to thief.

Goro slowly realized -- without being sure how he knew, but certain of the knowledge -- that the stars were watching him. They weren't stars; perhaps they'd never been stars; perhaps the stars that were so familiar to him weren't stars, either. They were molten gold eyes, and they stared out from every candle, every softly glowing magic lamp, and from the shadows, too, pinpricks his dark vision could pick up -- they surrounded him,

and they stared into him relentlessly, guided by the demon holding his face in its claws.

LINA

Goro squirmed, breathing heavy, fighting every fucking instinct in his body telling him to run. Get away. Hide.

Every instinct except one. That one reminding him that he needed help. He needed answers. And whatever the fuck kind of twisted, horrifying entity Pride was -- in this precise moment, if only for the sake of Sam, he was on Goro's side.

Goro swallowed and did his best to hold still.

IZZY

Sam squeezed Goro, watching Pride -- who continued to stare into Goro for what seemed like too long a moment before blinking slowly.

When his eyes opened again, the piercing gaze that surrounded Goro faded, like dim lights in the dark when looked at directly. The world -- the dream world -- was normal again. Quiet. Blessedly empty. Pride looked at Goro normally for another beat before releasing his chin, then glancing at Sam.

"There is something inside you," Pride said, carefully.

LINA

Goro kept clutching at Sam.

He didn't ask what.

He didn't ask who put it there.

End of the day, it didn't fucking matter.

"Get it out," he said.

IZZY

Pride didn't respond to that immediately. "Something black and fluttering," he mused. "Something like Lust. Slimy and despicable," he muttered, his lip curling.

"Can you help him?" Sam prompted.

"No." Pride continued to look disgusted and displeased. "Perhaps if I were in the mortal plane." He stood. "This is my brother's work, done from his side of the veil. I'm afraid you'll have to take it up with him."

LINA

Goro dropped his head forward, shaking it slowly. Not disagreeing, just... not wanting any of this.

"I'm scared," he said, like it fucking mattered. Like it made any difference at all.

IZZY

Sam made an unhappy sound and squeezed him again, awkwardly. "It's all right," he started to say, but stopped when Pride dropped a hand onto Goro's shoulder.

The demon looked down at him, just shy of impassive -- a calm veneer over a sense of anger. His voice was even, again. "Don't be afraid. Whatever my brother has done to you, I'll find a way to reverse it once I'm able. You're mine, now. You're under my protection. I won't have him meddling with you."

Sam offered an encouraging mm.

LINA

Goro didn't respond. He didn't... want to be Pride's.

He only wanted to be Mask's, and Hansel's.

But he'd signed that fucking contract, obviously. And he didn't wanna turn down the protection.

"'Kay," he said hoarsely. He didn't meet either of their eyes.

IZZY

"Not to worry," Pride said, as if that were the end of it. He turned and clicked the couple of steps back to the lounge opposite Goro and Sam.

Sam, meanwhile, kept holding Goro. "Listen," he said, "once I've got the Shroud, we'll be ready to get into the church, and get ... the other thing." He glanced at Pride, who sat back down on his own side. "It's -- it'll be any day now, okay? Then we're going to search the places where he can't see. Lust has to be in one of those dark spots. We'll find him, and kill him, and whatever he did to you, it'll be over." He hesitantly stroked Goro's hair.

LINA

"What if it wasn't him, though," Goro said, eyes still on the floor. "What if--" He swallowed. "She--the Glutton."

He wondered if he'd ever, ever be free of her.

IZZY

Sam looked to Pride again, and the demon tilted his head.

"Perhaps," he allowed. "You gave the child your soul? Her father may have inherited the contract."

"Does it work that way?" Sam asked, puzzled.

Pride spread his fingers in a way that indicated unsureness. The gold of his talons and rings caught the light and twinkled like stars, like eyes.

LINA

Finally, Goro looked up at Pride.

The fear washed out of him like someone had doused it with a bucket of water. And in its place rose a searing, white-hot fury.

Goro's fists clenched. "He can't do that," he snarled. "That wasn't the deal."

IZZY

"He's a wretched creature," Pride said calmly.

LINA

"I'm gonna kill him. Wake me up."

IZZY

Pride tilted his head. "Do you know where he is?"

LINA

"No. But Raef does."

IZZY

His eyes widened slightly. "Does he, now?"

LINA

"Far as I fuckin' know."

IZZY

Sam had gone rigid beside Goro. Pride's eyes slid away from Goro and locked onto him.

"Don't," he said, lowly.

Sam ignored him. "Goro."

"Sakincha," Pride started.

"Me and you are going to talk to Raef."

"Sam."

LINA

Goro looked between the two of them, his rage momentarily forgotten. 'Cause this was weird. "What? What's going on?"

IZZY

"If he harms you," Pride said.

"I'll fucking kill him." Sam looked to Goro. "We'll fucking kill him. No problem. You can just bring me back. It'll be fine."

Pride looked displeased. He didn't say anything else.

LINA

Goro shook his head slightly. "Sam, just--" He took Sam's hand and squeezed it. "Raef doesn't know you, right? If you try and talk to him..." He ground his teeth some more. "I mean, he ain't gonna fucking tell me where Anwyll is if I come out swinging, either. I just need information. Let me handle it, and... I'll send to you if I need backup."

IZZY

Sam scowled. He chewed on it for a bit, then muttered, "Fucking fine."

Pride's expression smoothed over somewhat.

LINA

Goro frowned to himself. "If... I die. For any reason. And that motherfucker... gets me somehow."

He had died, and Mask had gotten him. That in itself was a warm comfort, deep in his chest. But in case there was some shit next time--

IZZY

Sam kept scowling. "Well, don't fucking die."

LINA

"Look, I ain't saying I'm gonna try. But if it happens." Goro looked to Pride. "Could you... get me back? Eventually?"

IZZY

Pride tapped his claws in sequence against the lounge. "I don't know what Lust does with the souls he barters for," he mused. "I would certainly try. It isn't beyond my capabilities, unless he destroys them entirely -- but I don't know what he would stand to gain from it. Especially if he intends to stay on the good side of your friend."

LINA

Not the most reassuring answer, but he'd take it. "'Preciate it. Like I said, I'll try to avoid dying. But you never know." He scowled.

IZZY

"Wear your ring," Pride said. "It should prevent anything unfortunate from happening to your soul, in any case."

LINA

Goro nodded. He held his hand up and wagged his finger, showing it off. He even dreamed himself wearing it; that's how serious he felt about it.

His other two rings, too, stacked together on his left hand. He cupped that one to his chest, immediately self-conscious.

"I wanna wake up," he said. "'Less you got anything else."

IZZY

"I don't," Pride said. "Just this -- stay safe. Call on me if you have need."

He looked to Sam questioningly, and Sam frowned, clearly still concerned, and hugged Goro tightly.

LINA

Goro hugged him back, just as tight. "Thanks," he mumbled. He meant thanks for being there when I was freaked out, but there was no way all those words were gonna make it out of him.

IZZY

"Yeah," Sam said quietly. "No problem."

He pulled away a little reluctantly, and nodded to Pride, who was watching them with a soft, fond expression. He lifted his hand and snapped his claws, and Goro woke.

[END]

TRP: Goro, Pride, and Sam (Despicable). Day 404. After being told by Raef that he is turning into a Sin, Goro demands an explanation from Pride. Pride speculates that it is Anwyll's doing somehow, and tells Goro he has something "black and fluttering" inside him.