Chapter Text
“Are you sure it’s her?”
A woman with short navy hair was sitting in her chambers at her desk sporting a blue and grey suit with gloved hands folded under her chin. A manila folder lay opened before her with all sorts of documents; among the papers were photographs of multiple torsos with runes carved into the flesh along with photocopies of research and translations. Some of the bodies in the photographs seemed to be cut open with their ribs and insides missing, leaving their core hollow. One specific photo was sitting front and center amongst the other ones. Slitted sapphire eyes looked from the documents then to the suited figure across from the desk with a clock face mask.
“Yes... without a doubt that is the Strixs handy work, one just managed to survive. Do you where she’s located?”
“Well, yes... but- “
“ But what?”
The clock faced figure gulped.
“If you know where she is then I want you to bring her to me. You don’t have to explain anything. I can do the rest.”
“A-as you wish, Boss. We’ll bring her here.” The suited clock promptly turned on their heels and hurried out of the room, closing the door behind them.
Gloved hands slid to where the heels of her palms rested against her forehead as she stared down at a particular photo of a body where green hair could be seen cascading along the chest.
“For your sake, I hope this isn’t a dead end.” The slits in her eyes softened before reaching down and closing the folder.
* * * * *
A padded room wasn’t where she was expecting to be at this point in her life if you asked her a year ago... but here she is. After missing all the hints that were dropped and the growing predatory behavior toward her, she should have run sooner. If she would have been able to. But then came the threat that if she left, it would be her life next. The alternative was to be thrown under the bus. Can’t run and tell the truth when you're ratted out as the killer yourself and no one will believe you. Then it’s the straitjacket; because no one is going to listen to your side of the story or all the times you’ve denied killing anyone. They're blinded by the fact that they think they have the right person off the street and your voice no longer matters; it’s a weapon to be put against you. On top of this she had no alibis... except for the one girl who died in front of her. She squeezed her eyes shut as the memory of that night started to flood back. Screams and pleas from a red and magenta haired woman; heterochromatic eyes full of fear as she begged for her to help.
She didn’t have to die.
Her screams and cries overlapped with those from a brunette, furious that they knew each other.
I could have saved her...
The shrieks got louder as they replayed in her head.
Please, just stop!
“Hakos Baelz.”
Bae jumped; almost thankful the voice pulled her out of the breakdown she was about to have. She didn’t even hear the officer walk in.
“Up. You’re getting out of here... unfortunately.” the officer said as he glanced back at two suited clocks behind him standing with their arms in front of them.
Bae stared at him in confusion, hesitating before getting up to her feet and walking over. Her ears lowered to her head as she approached. The number of times that she's been thrown around since she's gotten here almost made her prefer being in solitary confinement. Glancing from the officer to the suits, she opened her mouth but was stopped when one of them held up a hand.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions right now but don’t worry, everything should be cleared up for you later.”
Bae didn’t necessarily like the sound of that but gave a small nod before she was escorted down the hall by the officer, the suits trailing behind.
* * * * *
A black Cadillac with darkened windows pulled up in front of what seemed to be a mansion- at least to Bae. Her heart sank as she stared out at it. She also felt suddenly very underdressed for whatever she was about to walk into. The facility had cut her hair into a bob when she first got there which had since grown to her shoulders, it was a little on the shaggy looking side now but it kind of felt nice feeling the fall breeze on her neck; burning her tired eyes instead. The clothes they gave her- well, what the Clocks offered her rather was that of oversized hoodie and sweatpants. They were comfortable enough, it certainly felt better than something restricting…
One of the Clocks lead her to the doors while the other followed behind her probably making sure she wouldn’t make a run for it. Her ears lowered as the door was held open for her. As she walked in, she could see the dark mahogany walls with marble floors. A staircase to the side that must have led upstairs to bedrooms. Doorways on either side of the foyer, one she could tell led to a common area with a fireplace and the room to her left seemed to be another common looking area. There was a door in the back corner of this one where she was being guided to. She gulped as she watched the Clock in front knock on the door before opening it and walking inside, blocking her view of the chambers.
The navy haired woman looked up, setting the glass she was sipping from down.
“Do you have her?”
“Yes Boss. Would you-” he stopped and froze as slit eyes glared at him. A quick bow before stepping to the side for Bae to view the room. The Clocks voice lowered.
“...You may enter.”
Bae glanced at him before walking into the chambers, the door shutting behind her. Her tail tucked itself against her leg as she averted her gaze to the floor; she could feel the woman bearing holes right through her, as if she dared her to breathe. The silence was almost deafening until she heard the chair slide back against the floor, making her flinch. A quick look through her bangs and she saw how tall the woman was, her suit vest unbuttoned, legs for days as they made slow strides around the front of the desk, leaning against the edge of it. It felt like her every move was being watched like a predator stalking its prey.
“What do you know of the Strix.” The woman’s voice had a hint of exhaustion now that it was just the two of them.
Bae went to go answer but her voice was nothing but a rasp. She’s barely been vocal the past few months that she’s been locked up. She cleared her throat and tried again.
“Who?”
The woman pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment before getting up and going over to a small cart, pulling out a frosted glass and poured some whiskey before refilling her own. She nodded to Bae and held it out.
“Let’s start over. Small. How about names if that makes you feel more comfortable, before just diving into the thick of it.”
Bae watched then carefully walked over, taking the glass from her and sitting down in the chair that was positioned next to her. A sniff before taking a sip.
The woman chuckled some. “If I wanted to poison you, I wouldn’t even have bothered bringing you here. Ouro Kronii.”
Bae raised an eyebrow before nodding. “Hakos Baelz. Just Bae.”
“Bae it is.” Kronii slid the folder over closer to them. “Like I said, we’ll start small. I won’t show you anything in here yet, but I need you to work with me. Otherwise, well… let’s just say I won’t hesitate on pulling some nails.”
“...figuratively, right?”
Kronii grinned under tired eyes. “You really want to find out? No wonder you got mixed up with her. Live life a little too dangerously.”
Bae opened her mouth to question again but froze.
Her.
Kronii was going to continue but stopped to observe Bae, watching as her gaze diverted past her and her grip tightened on the glass.
“You said you’d do whatever I want, remember?”
Eyebrows furrowed as she closed her eyes.
“I didn’t mean this! I'd never mean anything like this- if I had known- “
“If you had known you think I’d let you leave alive?”
“Hey?” Kroniis voice was soft trying not to startle Bae and bring her back to the present. The rats ears twitched as she opened her eyes.
“I-I’m sorry, I- “
Kronii leaned back on an arm as she crossed her legs over, sipping from her glass. “Quite the thousand-yard stare you have, I’m assuming you know who I’m referring to.”
Bae stared down at her ice. She also had questions but would prefer not to recall the events that happened in the past year.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
A grimace crossed Baes face as she hung her head some, an arm sliding inside hoodie to hold herself. The memories of the events would often trigger phantom pains to the now scars on her abdomen. Some nights while she was locked up in confinement, she found herself curled up and screaming; not just from the pain but from the flashbacks of what she saw and the cries of the girls echoing loudly in her head. Sometimes they were so loud that she couldn’t even hear herself above them. Her mind hadn't been quiet since.
Kronii watched as Bae seemed to go through several emotions at once; her ears fluttering this way and that as she thought, as if she were hearing voices and was trying to pinpoint the location of where they were coming from in the memories. Her tail flicking from whatever horrors she saw resurface. She knew the body language well, unfortunately, but she had never been able to see it so visibly portrayed. The slits in Kronii’s eyes softened before downing her drink and getting up from the desk. Bae was brought back by the movement.
“How did you meet?”
“... She was on the side of the road.”
“Looking for her next victim. And you let her in.”
“I did, I thought she was injured-”
“She was faking it to look weak and lure you in.” Kronii was leaning against the wall opposite Bae at this point with her arms crossed, watching as she recollected that day. “You’d offer her a ride; she’d accept and from there she would take control of the situation.”
“If you be good for me... then maybe I'll let you live when I'm done.”
Kronii raised an eyebrow as Bae squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. “But she let you live unlike her other victims. Why?”
A red tail slowly came to a halt from its flicking, her hand clutching the fabric near her left side in the hoodie pocket. “I didn’t know…”
Pupils hardened and slit again. “You didn’t know what?”
“I- we- there was a thing- “
Kronii clenched her jaw, voice growing hard as she started walking back with narrow eyes. “What do you mean ‘a thing’? Were you working alongside her?”
Ears perked up in a panic at the approaching steps. “No! Not like that! Hey!”
Yanked up by the collar of her hoodie straight off the seat to where she was eye level with cold sapphire glaring through her; venomous but still stunning, sending a shiver down her spine. Baes hands clasped around Kroniis wrist.
“Listen! We- we were intimate, we had sex, but I didn’t know any of that! She kept it vague in such a way that I didn’t catch on until it was too late! She was going to kill me if I tried to leave! I saw too much so she made it look like all the murders were me and then it was my word against hers and the authorities.” Bae caught her breath after she finished running through her explanation.
Kronii broke eye contract long enough to glance over at the file on the desk then moving her other hand to the bottom of Baes sweater. “May I look?”
The redhead thought moment before nodding, looking away from her. Kronii lifted the bottom of the hoodie to see runes spelling out ‘O W L’ carved into her abdomen, much like the other girls, but it was never completed before they had their lives ended. The scars started out clean but looked as if they got more aggressive toward the end of the markings. She moved her thumb over, tracing one of the scars before the muscle tensed under the touch; Bae flinched, her ears folding back. Kronii sighed some and lowered the rat back to the floor.
“How many times?” Her voice was softer now.
“Nine... each line was a time that we met.” Baes voice was but a whisper, still avoiding her gaze. Her stomach was beginning to burn with disgust for herself.
“Why so many?” she released the collar of the sweater then with a deft hand, lightly took the rats chin in her fingers, turning her to look at her.
“...I was selfish, stupid, blinded-”
“Lonely. Loneliness causes us to do stupid things we often end up regretting.” fingers dropped as she took a step back, sitting back on the edge of her desk to reach for the phone. “I think we’ve all been there, if not now then at some point later in our lives. You get so desperate for attention that you’ll accept any form of it, even if it’s the wrong kind... and some are lucky enough to not have to feel that at all.” a hint of sadness lingered in Kroniis voice as she pushed the page button.
Bae looked away from her, biting her lip as they made eye contact again. She opened her mouth to speak before the door to the chambers was open and one of the suited Clock showed up, bowing.
“Take our guest to her room. She can have whatever she desires for dinner.” Kronii looked at Bae. “Don’t be afraid to call if you need anything. I appreciate your cooperation. We can try and tackle this again tomorrow.” a soft smile from Warden made Baes cheeks flush lightly as she nodded before following the suit out of the room, the door shutting behind them.