Soon, it was Mike’s turn to spin, his bottle falling on Mr. Valen, and as it did a faint smile graced his lips.
"Truth or Dare, freak?" He asked, his voice grim.
In response, Mr. Valen gulped. "Truth," he said, his voice barely above a murmur.
At those words, Mike’s grin widened, his eyes shaking with excitent. "Alright, freak. Since you ’don’t rember’ shit about your psycho mom, tell us this, what’s the one thing you do rember from when she had you? Did you rember killing the victims with her?"
A hush fell over the group at this question, even the bass from the speakers seed to dull in anticipation.
Mr. Valen’s fingers twitched imperceptibly at such a direct question, but he truly rembered next to nothing.
’A normal person would mostly have their trauma triggered by such a question, I should act accordingly,’ He exhaled, letting his shoulders slump slightly, his arm visibly trembling (the perfect picture of discomfort).
"I-I... rember the woods," he spoke, his voice cracking. "J-just... walking. That’s it."
Mike scoffed imdiately. "Bullshit. That’s not an answer." As he spoke, he grabbed a dark, syrupy liquor bottle from the table and slamd it down in front of Mr. Valen. "Penalty drink."
Vincent tensed at the sight, his eyes narrowing as he defended. "Co on, man, he answered-"
"He didn’t answer shit," Mike snapped, slamming his hand on the table. "Either he drinks, or he’s out."
Mr. Valen, in the midst of all this, stared at the bottle. ’Alcohol. I have never had; why would one willingly ingest this? It dulls the senses, slows reaction ti, and it does not taste all that good.’
But he still had to drink, lifting the bottle to his lips as he did.
The liquid burned in his throat, bitter and cloying, but he didn’t flinch.
And when he lowered the bottle, he noticed the effects imdiately: the edges of the room had already softened slightly, his gaze unsteady.
One thing to note was the fact that the auras around the others looked dimr, seemingly less visible, less distinct.
"Wow, not even a break, you hold your liquor well, bro," Vincent praised earning a nod from him.
Mike, on the other hand, smirked. "Good, Next spin!" he yelled.
The night went on, and after a few spins, the bottle landed on Alice.
"Truth," she said before Derald could even ask, her light blue eyes fixed on a woman sitting at a distance. ’Who is that pretty lady?’ she couldn’t help but think to herself.
Sitting idly by herself in the distance was a woman wearing a baggy sweater, her blue-black hair shimring faintly; it was unknown when she had arrived.
anwhile, Derald cleared his throat, attracting Alice’s attention. "So, uh... what do you really think about Valen? Dude’s been chasing you for months."
A few snickers erupted at those words while Mr. Valen let a faint blush spread through his face, but inside, he noted the shift in the room, the way the crowd leaned in, hungry for an answer.
There was a brief pause while Alice took a sip of her drink. "I don’t think about him at all."
"Ouch," soone muttered.
She then tilted her head, looking straight at him. "He’s just... there. Like a chair. Not interesting enough to hate."
The words should have stung. But Valen felt nothing but glee. "Get rejected by a pretty girl, check. I’m becoming a pro at normality.’
He may have thought this on the inside but outside, he looked devastated.
Mike and Derald seed satisfied by this, as they spun again.
Round after round, the questions circled back to Mr. Valen, sotis veiled, sotis vicious.
Each ti he deflected, he was forced to drink, each sip blurring the world a little more, the auras fading into smudges of nothingness, as he gaze beca unsteady.
By the ti the ga dissolved into drunken chaos, Mr. Valen was the only one still seated at the table, his movents slow, his mind foggy.
He felt the nagging urge to vomit.
Vincent slumped into the chair beside him, rubbing his face. "Fuck, man. Mike’s an asshole."
Mr. Valen nodded absently at those words, tracking the crowd.
The alcohol had muted the auras, but not the patterns: the way Derald hovered near Alice, the way Mike glared from across the room, the way Sophie stood close to Alice, it was all the sa.
"You good?" Vincent asked, noticing how... out of it Mr. Valen seed. But it was not all that different from his usual strange mannerisms.
Mr. Valen offered a light smile (the sa practiced, harmless expression he always wore). "Yeah, I am just tired."
Pausing at those words, Vincent hesitated, then clapped him on the shoulder. "Don’t let them get to you. Alice is... Alice. And Mike’s just pissed at the world."
Mr. Valen’s gaze drifted to the window, Outside, the night pulsed with unseen things.
He faintly rembered the stalker from earlier, and his curiosity was piqued, ’Maybe it was one of Hunter’s agents?’
Taking a breath, he continued his conversation with Vincent. "Yeah.. Pissed at the world."
anwhile, in the distance, Alice and a small crowd could be seen talking to a lady who redefined the word beautiful.
At first glance, her hair was a sleek, inky black, but the mont she turned her head or the light caught it just right, the hidden depths revealed themselves: a bold, electric blue shimring beneath.
Her eyes were arresting: a deep, unsettling crimson that pulsed with a faint, otherworldly glow. Around her neck rested a collar, its intricate blue and black patterns mirroring the duality of her hair, both striking and deliberate.
She wore a cropped sweater that clung just enough to hint at the smooth curve of her waist, the exposed skin adding an edge of effortless confidence.
Her long legs were draped in loose, flowing pants that swayed with every movent, the fabric sohow both relaxed and intentional.
Among the others in the room, she carried herself differently, more maturely.
"So you haven’t told where you’re from, Athyst," Mike spoke, his eyes latched onto Athyst’s form."
"I just saw the party let myself in, is that alright?" She asked, turning to Derald with a faint, bewitching smile.
Derald, in the face of such a question, found himself smiling broadly. "Of course, of course, I’m always upon to making new friends."
"Hmm," Athyst nodded slowly, folding her legs as she sipped from her glass, slowly.
The n seed to lose confidence in themselves in her presence; she seed older and was just there to have a good ti, so they excused themselves.
Most tried to flirt, especially Mike, but they were shut down with grace.
The ladies, on the other hand, had no ulterior motives.
"I love your hair!"
"What contact brand is that, I love the glow!"
"Where did you get your nails done?" asked Sophie, one of Athyst’s newfound fans.
"Ohh, my students, painted them for ," she chuckled.
"You’re a teacher?" Sophie inquired further, earning a nod from Athyst who turned to Alice with a smile. "You haven’t spoken since. You’re much different from your twin sister."
Alice was quiet for a bit, but she did approach with the intention to speak. "I like your style," she said, stretching forth an arm. "Let’s be friends."
It was Athyst turn to go quiet, but her surprise lasted only for a mont as she soon began giggling, her act causing Alice to blush slightly.
"Awwn," the group of girls exclaid upon noting such a reaction from the ice queen, but just as the situation was about to get truly uncomfortable for Alice, Athyst brought her into a tight hug. "Of course, BFF!"
Alice imdiately regretted starting the conversation, but it was already done. "Thanks," she said weakly.
As they separated, Athyst asked, her hand outstretched. "Can I have your phone?"
"Um, okay," Alice said, handing over the device into which she typed her number.
"You can call at any ti," Athyst then said, returning the phone, but as Alice reached for it, she was grabbed by the wrist.
"Whoa," Alice yelped as Athyst drew her closer, her breath hot against Alice’s ear, her hands trailing her waist as she steered Alice away from the group of girls. "That guy, Valen as you called him, can you please introduce him to ?"
"W-what?" Alice stuttered, thoroughly confused as she asked. "Em, that guy, what do you find interesting about him, he’s weird."
"Trust , I know all about him, and he’s the most interesting guy in the room," Athyst argued. "Just help out and I’ll explain to you later, let it be your first favour as my BFF?"
"Okay, if that’s whar you want," Alice spoke flatly.
anwhile, Sophie watched from a distance as her sister led Athyst towards Mr. Valen, who sat idly with Vincent.
One of the girls a brown-haired lady, watched the spectacle and asked. "Is your sister a lesbian? I’ve never seen her like that."
"No she’s not a lesbian," Sophie shot back, but thought to herself. ’At least I think she isn’t.’
Raising her head, she noted that Alice and Athyst had arrived at Mr. Valen’s table, and upon noting this, her thoughts wandered. ’What are they up to?’
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