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Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Jan 15, 2024 23:09:50 GMT

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This thread takes place immediately after the Father Winter: Branch and Bauble threads Synchronicity and The Light That Burns the Sky.

[break]

"Whatever happened wasn't real. This is real. You and me, right here, right now." [break][break]

The words should have comforted Nenet as Zev held her in his arms. Father Winter the Second had found them both, it seemed, and allowed them to witness a timeline different from the one in which they lived. A timeline that, for all Zev knew, was confusing and frightening. [break][break]

But instead of Nenet's body releasing its tension with relief, she began to weep. [break][break]

Immediately, Zev withdrew from the embrace to examine her face and body. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern evident in his frown and voice, though the latter possessed a roughness that ran counter to his words. "Are you hurt?" [break][break]

He didn't see any obvious wounds, however. No blood nor rips in her clothing, either.

TAGS – Neffatari Nzingha[break]
NOTES – mission

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Nenet

She/Her

October 13

Ula'ula, Alola

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There are more things in heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy

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TAG WITH @nenet

POSTED ON Jan 16, 2024 15:15:58 GMT

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How does she tell Zev it was real? It had to have been - at least some part of it. She remembered it, she felt it, she...
[break][break]
She needs to check.
[break][break]
"I'm not hurt," Nenet chokes out as she disentangles herself from Zev's embrace. She quickly makes her way through the apartment to her spare room - one mostly taken over by Zev. No toys litter its floor nor is a bed nestled in the corner; there are no Minior lights hung from the ceiling.
[break][break]
Frozen in the doorway, she stares blankly at the sight before her, uncomprehending and resigned to the truth all at once.
[break][break]
"She's gone," Nenet whispers, her face contorting with emotion. "We had - she's gone."

NOTES

- Zev Harcourt.[break]
- Mission: Cut One's Losses.

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Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Jan 16, 2024 16:26:00 GMT

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Despite Nenet's confirmation that she wasn't injured, she continued to look distraught, tears wetting her cheeks as they fell. Still concerned for her well-being, Zev followed her to the spare room. He stood behind her as she froze in the doorway, peering curiously over her shoulder. [break][break]

Many of his belongings were stored there, including his clothing and some of the more innocuous equipment he used for assassinations. His laptop and various paperwork were piled onto a table pushed against one wall. [break][break]

"'She'?" Zev echoed, frowning at Nenet, not comprehending. He reached out to touch her shoulder. "Who's gone?" [break][break]

And what had his wife meant with the interrupted phrase, "We had"?

TAGS – Neffatari Nzingha[break]
NOTES – mission

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Nenet

She/Her

October 13

Ula'ula, Alola

Supply Coffee

Astrobiologist

Executive / Beast's Wife

6' / 182cm height

There are more things in heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy

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TAG WITH @nenet

POSTED ON Jan 16, 2024 17:04:40 GMT

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Wiping at her eyes, Nenet looks mournfully to her husband; her brow furrows as he repeats what she's spoken, an indescribable pain flickering just below the surface that never fully manifests.
[break][break]
"Farah," she answers, and there's too much emotion imbued into the name, too much subtext that Zev doesn't have insight into. "We had Farah. She's four."
[break][break]
Her gaze is drawn back towards the childless room, its corners offering no sign of the little girl they once had in another timeline. Instead it's still a neatly organised pile of her husband's things. Rooted in place, her gaze drops and she lifts a hand to rub at her eyes, trying to blot the current sight out of her vision.
[break][break]
"I can't be here right now," Nenet whispers, her voice rough. Abruptly she turns to apparently leave the apartment without any consideration for the cold of winter that lies beyond.

NOTES

- Zev Harcourt.[break]
- Mission: Cut One's Losses.

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The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

hitman

rocket beast

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Jan 16, 2024 18:51:58 GMT

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When Nenet looked at him, Zev did not recognize the emotions written on her face. Her expression conveyed obvious pain, but he could not comprehend the nuance behind it. [break][break]

Who's Farah? he wondered, before the explanation from his wife—however brief—put the puzzle pieces together for him. [break][break]

"We had Farah. She's four." [break][break]

A daughter? [break][break]

Their daughter? [break][break]

Zev's brain stuttered, the equivalent of a computer's blue screen of death. He stood there, staring with wide-eyed shock, for long enough that Nenet tore herself away without him trying to stop her. Only when he heard the front door slam shut did his brain catch up to what was happening. [break][break]

"Nenet!" he yelled, grabbing his winter coat and hurrying after her. "Wait, Nenet!"

TAGS – Neffatari Nzingha[break]
NOTES – mission

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Laika Boss

Nenet

She/Her

October 13

Ula'ula, Alola

Supply Coffee

Astrobiologist

Executive / Beast's Wife

6' / 182cm height

There are more things in heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy

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TAG WITH @nenet

POSTED ON Jan 17, 2024 16:05:39 GMT

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She had to do something - anything - to take her mind off this. Her body moved automatically, a body that feels at once hers and foreign, in the obvious direction of the Observatory; she doesn't expect the pain in her ankle, but when it manifests from the biting cold and her too-hurried movements it feels grounding in its own way.
[break][break]
Distantly she's aware of Zev calling her name and chasing after her, but that's hardly her pressing concern at the moment. Instead, she manages to lose her footing on a patch of black ice.
[break][break]
She hits the ground mercifully in a pile of snow, though nonetheless winces, her legs sprawled and hands planted firmly on the ground; everything burns, from her unprotected skin to her chest.
[break][break]
Wind stinging at her tear-streaked face, Nenet gives a harsh gasp. She never wanted children, and yet her heart feels shattered. Farah was hers.

NOTES

- Zev Harcourt.[break]
- Mission: Cut One's Losses.

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The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

hitman

rocket beast

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Jan 17, 2024 20:29:42 GMT

freya morningstar likes this

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Nenet's slip and fall on black ice prompted Zev to slow down. He reached her side soon enough, and, with a strong hand under her arm, helped her back to her feet. Once she was upright, he draped his coat around her shoulders, keeping it there—and keeping her close—by folding his arm around her. [break][break]

"It's okay," he said, though his voice held none of the warmth his words suggested. "I'm here. You're with me." [break][break]

Her distress continued to baffle him. They'd never discussed children before; in fact, he recalled mumbling once or twice how much he hated children while they were in public. He hadn't been joking then, either. [break][break]

A gust of wind blew against them, bringing a bone-biting chill. Zev led Nenet away from the ice and onto a bench where they could sit. He did not let her go, allowing the heat stored in his body to radiate against hers. [break][break]

Normally, he never bothered comforting others, but Nenet was different. She was his human, his most precious possession. And though she held no illusions as to the kind of man he was, he knew she sometimes felt more at ease with the façade than the real thing. [break][break]

In a low voice, he asked, "Tell me what happened in the rift. What happened to Farah?"

TAGS – Neffatari Nzingha[break]
NOTES – mission

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Laika Boss

Nenet

She/Her

October 13

Ula'ula, Alola

Supply Coffee

Astrobiologist

Executive / Beast's Wife

6' / 182cm height

There are more things in heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy

awards

534 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @nenet

POSTED ON Jan 18, 2024 18:17:24 GMT

freya morningstar likes this

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It's not until she's hauled onto the bench and a modicum of warmth spreads through her body that Nenet realises how cold she is. The coat helps, but the radiant warmth of her husband's body helps even more; leaning close against him, she exhales a harsh sigh and presses her eyes closed.
[break][break]
How does she even explain another life? Much less a bond Zev could never, ever hope to understand.
[break][break]
"I was a dancer, I never went into astrobiology," she starts, her voice rough and tired. "And I came to Hoenn and stayed. I taught ballet. We met, and - and we had Farah." Trying to scavenge up anything to make Zev understand, she says, her voice breaking, "She was mine and he took me away from her. She was waiting for me and I don't know what's happened to her now."
[break][break]
Her expression falling along with her tears, Nenet looks at the snowy ground and croaks out lowly again, "She was mine."

NOTES

- Zev Harcourt.[break]
- Mission: Cut One's Losses.

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The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

hitman

rocket beast

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Jan 18, 2024 18:51:41 GMT

freya morningstar and Elisabeth Fiorelli like this

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When Nenet leaned into him, Zev held her tighter, tucking her head under his chin in a familiar gesture to further calm her. He listened to her explanation with an impassive expression, trying to figure out the cause of her distress behind her words. [break][break]

A small satisfaction bloomed in his chest at the idea that they'd met and gotten married even in an alternate universe. However, the understanding that dawned on him at her next words dwarfed that minor pleasure. [break][break]

"She was mine and he took me away from her." [break][break]

Of all emotions, Zev knew intimately the rage that consumed him when someone dared to take his possessions. His fingers dug into Nenet's shoulder through the thick coat. All of a sudden, he didn't care that Farah wasn't real, that he'd never wanted children—that he still didn't. [break][break]

The DRK Triad had stolen from his wife, and therefore, from him. [break][break]

"I'll make them pay," Zev growled out a promise, his whole body tense with hatred. Easing his grip on Nenet's shoulder, he lifted her chin with a hand and wiped away some of her tears with his thumb. [break][break]

And then he voiced the words he'd never imagined asking: "Do you want a daughter?" [break][break]

His voice was harsh, full of skepticism and agitation. But he had to know.

TAGS – Neffatari Nzingha[break]
NOTES – mission

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played by

Laika Boss

Nenet

She/Her

October 13

Ula'ula, Alola

Supply Coffee

Astrobiologist

Executive / Beast's Wife

6' / 182cm height

There are more things in heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy

awards

534 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @nenet

POSTED ON Jan 20, 2024 8:42:05 GMT

freya morningstar and Elisabeth Fiorelli like this

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She could feel his grip tighten as her words found their mark. Zev understood - or at least came as close as he was going to come. Nenet eyes press close at his promise and she gives a little nod; her gaze lifts from the snow to Zev when surprisingly gentle fingers wipe the remainder of her tears away.
[break][break]
An incredulous scoff then sounds from the woman at the next question which follows.
[break][break]
"No," Nenet answers immediately. She would not have children - not in this timeline. But she had known a daughter the emotions still clung to her like a second skin she could already feel peeling away.
[break][break]
Would those feelings fully fade? Or would they fester, some parasite of a memory. Anger blossoms in her chest, which turns to a quiet rage at being forced to experience another timeline, another life, that she never wanted.
[break][break]
"No," she reiterates, her voice low and pointed. "I don't. I just... Part of me wants her - part of me wanted her there but I'm not her anymore." Except she was, and there was no good way to explain it all other than a terrible dream that she hopes to fully wake from someday.
[break][break]
"I'm freezing," is what she says next. She sounds exhausted, if not defeated.

NOTES

- Zev Harcourt.[break]
- Mission: Cut One's Losses.

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The Devourer

he / him

January 8

Lavender Town, Kanto

heterosexual

hitman

rocket beast

6'3" / 190 cm height

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

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TAG WITH @zev

POSTED ON Jan 21, 2024 16:35:00 GMT

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Nenet's pointed "no" brought Zev a mix of relief and satisfaction. [break][break]

Relief, because it meant having a child was one less thing to involve in his plans. And satisfaction, because it meant she continued to be aligned with him in all things. [break][break]

He made no comment to the nuanced feelings she conveyed. Instead, he urged her to stand as he rose to his own feet. "Put the coat on properly," he said, since he'd only draped it around her shoulders, "and come back home with me. I'll cook dinner tonight." [break][break]

Warm soup, he decided. Something grounding and comforting. Something Alolan.

TAGS – Neffatari Nzingha[break]
NOTES – mission

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