almightythirst | Deerington Inbox

Killing was part of the world that Ashe had chosen to live in. She’d killed and she’d had her people killed; some had even come close to killing her. Ashe didn’t go out of her way to kill and she preferred to avoid it; too much hassle. But that didn’t mean she was at all squeamish about getting blood on her hands.

In Deerington, many of her kills had been due to necessity and self defense. She hadn’t shot any of the other sleepers. That night she’d stuck to her M.O. which was townsfolk, but this had been in cold blood. Naturally, she’d been concerned about the cats, but she’d been careful in her execution. With a little bit of research and Chloe’s help, she’d been able to track down the townsfolk that had hurt her and she’d sent them a message, with her gun.

Murder could be a bloody act depending on the method and she’d made her way home in the dark, still sporting the stains of her exploits. It was late when she finally entered her home and turned to B.O.B. who was behind her. “Why don’t you go shut off for a bit, I’m gonna shower and go to bed.”

The omnic placed his hand on her shoulder and she was warmed by the look she knew was filled with compassion. Patting him on the hand she nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning.” They bid each other goodnight and Ashe made her way towards the master suite that she now shared with Jesse.

Though the weight of the evening was heavy on her mind, seeing Jesse stretched out was a soothing image and all she wanted was to clean up her body and shake off the feelings that turned uncomfortably inside of her. Deerington made her less sure of so many things, and this was the first time she’d taken so much action in cold blood. Necessary maybe but not the enjoyable endeavour she often pretended it was.

She hoped Jesse wouldn’t wake and bring on questions she wasn’t sure she could answer. She even wonders if he’d be disappointed in her, or worse angry. With Reaper, she’d held back, but she couldn’t with the townsfolk, not this time. Turning the handle, she waits for the water to warm while leaning on the edge of the sink. Her eyes catch sight of her reflection and she cringes. Blood was streaked on her clothes, and spotted on her skin in a splashed pattern, evidence of the chaos of her attack. Ashe had years of blood on her hands and it hadn’t always been so easy to tolerate or move on from. She had gone into a world that was traumatizing in it’s kill or be killed mindset and it had been long enough since the last time she’d kill with such little mercy, that it filled her with a sense of fear, like a noose wrapping around her neck that would never let go.

She was so lost in trauma of her past that she didn’t even realize the sink had filled up and was threatening to overflow. All she could see was the reflection of a tired woman who didn’t know if she could be anything other than destructive. It was hard to even believe the face she saw was her own. In the late hour, with no sleep, it would take her a bit to compartmentalize the trauma the night had brought up and reorganize her thoughts to see it as simply another well deserved kill under her obscured definition of justice.

[At Atsushi's encouragement Ritsuka contacts Jesse.]

Jesse-san... I... I don't know how to even ask this without-

I guess... with the bears gone and the trials done, did... you want me to move out? I'll understand if you say yes, I don't want to burden your kindness further.

Jesse, got this package in my basket that has your name on it. Don't know where you live so, let me know where I can drop it off.

Hey darlin'. That turkey holiday I love to bitch about is comin' up. Think we should make it special for our girl?

December in Deerington was known for being cold and brutal, and since Ashe preferred the reasonable temperatures of the southwest, she had decided to think ahead. This was her second Christmas in Deerington and by now she felt almost downright settled. Sure there was still more bullshit than Deerington had any right to throw at them, but Ashe was certainly not thrown off by a challenge, let alone violence. On top of that, business was strong and getting stronger and she had infinitely stronger foothold in the town than she'd had last year.

On top of that, she and Jesse had made it over a year in an actual relationship. Or if nothing else, sleeping together on a regular basis, handling crisis as it arose together, and not constantly trying to rip each other's heads off, which in her book was suggestive of a very successful relationship. They were even still..."raising" Chloe together. She didn't dare say it, lest Deerington steal it from her, but she was happy.

Or mostly anyway. Recently she'd found a ring hidden away while she was looking for something among Jesse's things and that had certainly thrown a few of her feelings up into the air. She hadn't yet broached the topic, but it had been eating at her all the same. Luckily, Ashe was good at hiding things, especially her feelings. She carried on putting it to the side in lieu of focusing on Chloe and Thanksgiving and now Christmas.

Today, she and Jesse had decided to go chop down a tree for the house. The ones at the lot would never satisfy. She was out on the front porch, dressed as warmly as she could, and smoking a cigarette while she waited for him to get himself together so that he could join her. It was mid afternoon and they'd lose the light in just a couple hours, so she wanted to get moving. B.O.B. stood by the side of the front steps, fiddling with the axe and making sure it was sharp enough.

"What is takin' that man so long? I swear sometimes he preens more than I do." It was questionable, but she couldn't help but make the joke. At least her tone was fond.

Edited 2020-11-29 23:39 (UTC)

[Tap, tap, tap.

Clink, tap, scratch.

There was a pile of stolen items on the window sill. Old candy wrappers, a toothbrush, a hair comb, some bullet casings (don't ask), a few tuffs of black hair, scrapes of paper and a handful of coins.

A crow wearing a black cowboy hat was definitely there and tapping on the window. Pay attention or the pile of junk will definitely get larger.

Beak on glass window then beady black eye peering inside.]

Edited 2020-12-15 15:17 (UTC)

Backdated ; Action ; CW: Violence | Blood | Murder

Video; UN: Godisdead

text; glitch | late october

Video;

O' Christmas Treeeeee

Mid-December