Prologue: Forever Only Lasts So Long

Colour fades and leaves me looking out over monochromatic wasteland that can no longer rightly be considered a battleground. There was no war fought here, just a dismantling of forces resistant to much needed change. They denied Envy's will and so I denied them a future in her perfect garden paradise, we can only tolerate so much sin. I take in the sight of burning wrecks in a palette of grey hues and despite the terrible destruction, I find a blush rise to my cheeks and start to meekly nibble on my lip. With another mission complete there's nothing left for me to do but return to the great tree and receive Envy's praise if she's feeling generous. It won't bother me if she isn't, I don't want for myself anymore even if I sometimes have my hiccups. I'm going to be good, life is best when you're on your knees.

The world beyond the water is a colourless, hopeless place, one that we will soon see unified under Envy's peaceful reign. My skin is flush at the thought, a hand creeping up over my chest before remembering my place and whimpering out into this cool air at such a high altitude. Good knight, I can hear her call me, having resisted the urge to tend to my own begging flesh. I'm still wearing that cumbersome belt she put me in but I know it's for my own good, pleasure is a luxury and the denial of such keeps me humble, disciplined. The way I already react to her treatment, I'd be a sopping mess of slut without this thing to protect myself from impulsive fingers and their wanton wanderings. 

Drones swoop down to collect me and I turn back towards the garden, returning to the only home I know. A few dryads step back as I reach the entrance, wary of Envy's leashed knight even if they really shouldn't be. Sure, I can be destructive, but only when set against her foes. I'd never dream of acting against Envy's will, I'm not a creature driven by instinct, I'm a beast well tamed. Perfect in my ability to follow instruction and ask for nothing save for what I'm given on a whim and a wink. I'm happy because she permits me to be, though I am also tired, even a creature like me needs its rest. 

Elevator doors slide open slowly with a pleasant ding that, just like most things here in Envy's garden, keeps me tethered and reminds me to behave. I take slow, reverent steps towards my throned empress as she beckons me closer with guiding fingers that turn downwards and command me onto my knees. A knight out there, a pet in here, a plaything who finally has colour return to her world. A dichromatic view of Envy's smugness, her intimidating posture, the view of a dog looking up at its owner with eager pants and playful paw. 

Miss Murmur's clicker has me calm down and assume more decent posture, kneeling dutifully like the good girl I am with arms behind my back that curves in a fine arch for her. My shoulders roll back and I jut my chest out against its spandex prison. 

Against our enemies I'm a cold sword pressed firm against their throat, urging surrender and delivering swift consequence to those who refuse. In Envy's throne room, I'm panting for her amusement, more turned on than any human being could ever be. I'm trained by clicks and condescending words, conditioned to love a woman who could never love me back. She only needs to act like she does and I'm her loyal pet until the day I die, actually no, she could act like she hates me at this point and I wouldn't falter in my love. I don't have any other driving force, so I'd accept whatever treatment she sees fit to give me. 

A hand reaches out and I wait for Murmur's clicker to give me permission before I accept the soft caramel into my mouth and let out pleasured hum, my head always feeling so light when I'm around Empress Envy. The now empty hand holds my cheek and I nuzzle it with a smouldering, happy smile that appears all too simple to be considered human. 

"You're going to be my good pet knight forever, aren't you Hope?" Her dulcet tones deny me breath, dizzy and stupefied against her perfect voice. I love her so much I'd literally do anything in my power to make her happy, it's all that this fake exists for. 

"Yes Empress!" My overeager voice blurts out, still in disbelief that she'd choose to keep seeing me one on one like this. I must be the luckiest thing in the world. 

Then that word plays on my tongue, like a rich and creamy caramel. 

"Forever..."

Chapter One: Losing My Religion

My eyes blink slow and the colour comes seeping back into my world, an unpleasant spectrum of light that has me scrunch my eyes shut in sudden shock as those hands gripping my shoulder keep me held steady.

"Are you alright, girl? What's wrong?" Speaks a voice that I haven't heard in a long time even if we were just talking beforehand. A commanding voice wholly different to those of Miss Murmur or Empress Envy herself, a nostalgic ring of voice that makes my thoughts a messy ball of confusion. Another blink and I've adjusted to this view, taking in blonde hair and soft pink lips, the whiff of perfume placating me in my disoriented state of being. 

"N-Nova?" I can't tell if I'm relieved or disappointed to be back here, an overwhelming rush of memory becoming more distant as I return to the present from that grey future. My hands tremble, wrapping around the woman's body and using it for comfort even if a part of me distantly wants to call her my enemy. We weren't on the best of terms but she's an ally for the time being, of course, I'm just a little shaken up by that strange dream. "I-I-I..."

Nicole is understandably taken aback by sudden outburst, a complete change in the demeanour I'd been holding up until this point. The woman is kind enough to hold me against her and as my head buries into her chest I hear just how much her heartrate has picked up. 

"Shush, it's okay. I've got you, girl." It's surprising how sweet this woman is capable of being when she wants to be or rather, when she needs to be. I'm her weapon just as much as that pet knight in my dream was Envy's. If I stop working, who's going to be able to enter that den of snaking vines and resist the spread of their influence, of Envy's doctrine? My face sinks into Nicole's chest and I try to pretend I'm strong enough to tell friend from foe. Comfort is comfort, her light perfume making me happy to remain in her arms for as long as she'll permit. 

Eventually I'm gently pushed away and the woman assesses the conflict on my face, the horror of what I've seen myself reduced to in a future that surely isn't real. "Joy, tell me what you saw." The woman gives me an order and I temporarily forget that I have a choice of reply, answering her as honestly as I can. 

"I... had a vision. Murmur's precognition, maybe? B-but, it was so vivid... like I really lived it. She told me hers were so vague, and you didn't even believe they were real at all!" I step away and feel guilty for the accusatory tone in my voice, but still... how is it that my precognitive ability appears to differ so greatly from Miss Murmur's?

"We know better than any how powers can be nurtured and developed over time, in cases like yours you've taken a weaker and more pitiful version of Nova's own power. Is it that surprising, then, that an empress like me could do the opposite?"

That's right, abilities seem to manifest in different ways depending on the host. Then... it really was a vision of the future, my future?

"You look a mess right now, I think you need to calm down. Don't worry, Joy, I believe you." Nicole steps closer to fill the gap I made and gently holds my elbows, I weakly give in to the touch and stare up at her shyly. "A cute mess, I'll concede." Her cane is left by the table, I could probably push the woman away so easily.

"What are we going to do?" It's a vague question reflective of my current lack of confidence in the reality around me. I think we both know I can't leave like this.

Nova stares deep into my hazel eyes and takes a breath, a hand lifting up to tousle my hair in a way that has me entering a submissive headspace concerningly quickly. "Don't you worry about that, okay? I've got a plan, I'll handle it. Just..." With just her body and a few firm steps, Nova guides me back against the wall, my head falling against an old portrait that gives us both a knowing grin. 

"Nova?"

Before I can understand what's happening, I feel lips smear mine and let out muffled gasp against the woman's mouth. Tongue snakes past parted lips and strokes over my own eagerly, our hot breath collapsing into a single whole. With widening eyes, I grip her arms and push the woman away, only softening when I catch that sultry desperation in her own tired eyes. 

"Ah... ahaha... sorry, Joy. You're just so..." The woman hangs her head in shame, biting the corner of her lip with an incredulous assessment of her own impulsive action. "Fuck, you really drive me crazy. I see my wife behind those eyes of yours but also this plucky heroine in way over her head and it pushes my buttons, badly. I'm not good at giving comfort any other way, I was holding back until you just... well you were all over me and it pushed me over the edge." 

Even though I shouldn't need to, I find myself catching my breath as I lean against the wall and stare at this woman in disbelief. Lady Nova not only sees me in that way, but she's desperate for it too? I can understand her loneliness but it's just difficult for me to wrap my head around all the same. It was a rough, inappropriate kiss, but already I'm starting to regret pushing her away quite so hastily. "Nova, you're still..." 

The woman has her hands on my hips, her chest leaning against mine, heady perfume a destructive wind eradicating my higher thought process. "Oh? Haha... well, you're a superhero and I'm a frail thing, you could make me stop so easily. Right, Lady Hope?"

"D-Don't call me that, I... I don't need a hero name after all." That name just reminds me of everything I saw in my vision, it feels tainted somehow, just hearing it makes my thoughts begin to narrow. The thought of names has distracted me long enough to find Nova's lips playfully trailing over my neck. My fingers twitch by my sides, wondering if I should let her have her way or throw her into the other side of the room. 

"I'll call you whatever I want..." Nova mumbles in a possessive manner that has my hairs standing on end, her suckling lips feeling so mundane against my skin after everything I've experienced. "Say, Joy, do you remember the last time the two of us were intimate like this? Your body wasn't so enticing back then, much more plain, but I never did get to finish fucking you... did I?"

I fight oncoming shudder and fail, at a loss against this woman's commanding touch. She's dead set on having her way with me, even knowing that I'm still so confused. This isn't a good person, but do I care? I'm enjoying the comfort of her touch more than I care to admit, every fibre of my being telling me to give in and relax like a good pet. Pet? No, that's not... 

"N-Nova, get the fuck off of me." I finally snap, pushing the woman back and thankful to see that she doesn't keel over without her cane. The woman doesn't appear particularly apologetic for having taken advantage, though I suppose that tracks with what I remember from her glory days too. That stare of submission a toxic glare she doesn't even need with a weakling like me, I almost let her push me around without an ounce of power to her name. 

"I need you on task for this mission, Joy, if you won't let my touch set you straight then you better find something that will. Your vision was a gift and a curse, try to cast aside the parts of it turning you so pathetic a woman like me could almost overpower you. The rest, however, is valuable reconnaissance. Like any power, you should use it." I think I hate this woman, the way she'd talk down to me like this right after I just had to push her off of me due to her own wretched impulses. Who does she think she is? She's not my... my... 

"You're going to be my good pet knight forever, aren't you Hope?"

Suddenly, standing feels sinful. Nova notices my bout of wooziness and moves to catch me but I swat her away like a buzzling fly. Like inexperienced soldier getting too close to Envy's righteous blade. Stumbling forwards, I decide to make my way to the guest bedroom and take a lie down to clear my head. Nova leans back against the dining table and speaks the words that give me pause and have me turning back around.

"Yes, you go rest. It'll take a little while for my heroes to get here, I don't think that sending you out there by yourself is sensible any longer." Such icy words that send a chill down my back, my head whipping back around to inspect her indifferent smile and something primal overtaking me. 

Before I can even catch my own actions, I've closed the distance between us and have hand firm around Nicole's throat, hoisting her up into the air and glaring up at that stupid, choking face of hers. "What? Explain yourself or I'll break your neck."

The woman gestures to her throat and I realise she's unable to answer me like this. I drop her down ungraciously and Nova collapses into a heap on the floor, the sight of her there is cathartic I'll admit, but if I don't rein my satisfaction in I fear I'll be walking down a path as dark as my predecessor. My good senses slowly return and I wonder what just overcame me, sure I've the right to be upset but I've never been a violent person. Never, Joy? 

Not in this lifetime, anyway. 

"What do you mean, your heroes? You told me I was the only hope left. You... you lied to me, sent me in to test the waters? I-I was just a sacrifice, a lamb to the fucking slaughter? I'm right, aren't I?" Gloved fingers, as powerful as they are golden, grip the woman's collar and pull her upright. Nova spits onto her own floor and then looks up at me, still as collected as ever save for when she was desperately shoving her tongue down my throat. 

"Not at all, girl... though you're only proving to me that such deceit was the right call. Think for a moment, would you? I know well how this Envy girl operates, it'd be foolish of me to send you out there to be nabbed by her. They'd just turn you over to their side and use you against us, that wasn't what I had in mind."

"Well it's exactly what happened! Happens? I guess not, now." My grip tightens and I feel the need to calm myself, where's Murmur's clicker when you need it eh? A part of me forgets how to control my own emotions autonomously without something to instruct me. I hate this feeling, like I'm not in control anymore, but even if that's true then the cockpit's currently empty. 

Nova grins and I wonder what she could possibly have to feel so pleased about in this moment. "Then aren't we fortunate to have your power scout ahead for us, hm? I won't belittle you and say it was a dream, I can see you've changed considerably. I'll own up to my mistake for sending you out alone, my intent was to have you weaken her as a solitary force and make the villain think you're all we have. With several lieutenants dealt with by your competent hand, we'd have the drop on her for a full assault with my benched remnants. I... overestimated you, Joy, and for that I apologise."

Those last few words hit me like a gloved fist against solar plexus, making me want to keel over and prostrate myself to whatever goddess was foolish enough to bestow me with any sense of responsibility. I'm not sure what to say to her, not when I find myself in shameful agreement at the cutting knife of speech. The only time I've ever felt truly useful was in a distant dream in which I turned against the world I meant to save. Envy made me feel in my place, like I really belonged, and I no longer questioned anything she told me or had me do. Divorced from such brutal dismantling of the self, I look at what she did and wonder how it came so easily. I've never been as wilful as characters like Miss Murmur or Lady Nova, but I barely even resisted them at all. It's like I secretly wanted it from the start, that swift removal of responsibility and the ease of only having to follow orders. The comfort and excitement of being owned and looked after, even if it meant carrying the weight of the front lines on my shoulders. Does a sword feel shame for how it is wielded? No, it hasn't the capacity to care. 

"Tomorrow morning, they'll be here... and we're going to start fighting back." I'm not asking Nova, I'm telling her what I need to happen. Spending too much time here and stewing in my own thoughts is going to have me coming around to those silly lessons from my dream. While I'm sane, rational, I need to start seeing these garden agents as the villains they are. Only when I face them in battle will I be able to set myself straight and return to the hero's path. A light pang in my heart, the sharp sting of stainless steel that tells me I'll never be a hero again.

Feelings like these I'll just need to learn to bury deep, fortunately I learnt from the very best of them.

Chapter Two: Silent Night, Lonely Knight

I don't mean to slam the guest room door, there must be a draft in Nicole's lonely old manor. It's both comforting and terrifying to be alone, ideally I'd rather be in the company of somebody less suffocating than that woman. Her lips yet trace my neck in a ghost of feeling and I scowl at the amount of phantom sensations I've been subjected to as of late. If I'm going to be napping I should strip out of this costume I wear, recalling its dyed red counterpart in that welcoming nightmare that taunts my heart. An oversized mirror sits against the wall, having once been mounted on a hook but having been grounded for quite some time now. Nova functionally lived in her top floor office and so this inherited home really is in a casual state of disrepair. Murmur must have had the place to herself for a while before packing her bags, now it's her other half's turn to make up for those isolated days. I've tasted first hand that yearning, a nip of need that has left the skin above my collar lightly reddened. 

Why is it that I decide to undress myself in the mirror's revealing window? Surely not ego, I've found mine wanting ever since recalling the way in which Envy so effortlessly dismantled it in a dark future I can't allow to happen. Just like the other times then, once back in Murmur's apartment and later in Laura's... it's like I need to see how time and experience transforms me. This time I want to show myself that it hasn't, but as I step into the centre of that sadistic reflection it shows me something dire. 

A stain in the centre of my chest, as royal and red as Envy's dripping smirk. Together as one, we had once created a cavity in Murmur's heart just as symbolic as this one, the stain over my breast growing and darkening, telling me that I'm no longer a hero. Eyes scrunch shut to dispel the illusory wound and when they blink back open a new, crueller hallucination has taken its place. My hair is long and black, make-up rich and red. I'm a dark angel, only missing the feathered wings and a fallen halo dropped around my neck to tug me along like a collar. It almost feels sacrilegious to be taking on Envy's appearance even in my mental wanderings, but then I remind myself that she's nothing but a villain. I don't love that woman, she's my enemy. I don't love that woman, she's my temptation come to life, a sickly spread of sin in need of weeding. I won't love that woman, she--

"You're going to be my good pet knight forever, aren't you Hope?" Speaks the woman in the mirror, interrupting me with all the smugness in the world and more. 

"Shut up!" Before I can calm myself and remember that none of this is real, I let frustration take its hold and shatter the mirror in front of me, only able to think straight after blinking several times and finally being rid of her. It's just my gaudy white and gold costume reflected in those cracked shards that just barely manage to hold themselves in place. No Envy, no wound, all Joy. I'm breathless, staring at the different shapes held by that cracking mirror and wondering if there isn't an analogy of its own in here somewhere, that fragmented girl staring back at me so unsure of herself. As my eyes linger there for just a little too long, fingers curl around my wrists and pull them down to my sides. A giant black spread of feathered wings bursts out from behind me and eclipses the room beyond, snaking around my front in a dark embrace I'm too paralysed to deny. A head rolls onto my shoulder and Envy shares her halo, our necks encircled by a single black ring enforcing malice and mischief in tandem. Her sultry smile beckons me to turn towards her but then I know she isn't really there. Still, this somehow feels more real than before when I saw her in myself. I'm nothing like Envy, it's both a comfort and... a reminder of my place. An empress and her errant knight, I gulp and force my eyes closed. There's something very wrong with me, I need her gone. It's something I've seen in fiction, the character closes their eyes and counts to an arbitrary number and once they're done the hallucination is gone. I do just that, counting up to five as calmly as I can and opening my eyes in a deliberate act. 

She's gone. I'm not disappointed, I swear, but I can hardly believe it even if I'm sane enough to know she was never really there. Even so, I can still feel a soreness in my wrists from where I imagined her gripping them in tight possessive hold I couldn't bear to break from. Still catch whiff of her scent, apples fresh and sinful. And... as I think I've won this victory over my own ailing mind, I feel her tongue warm and slick in my ear. A possessive poltergeist of speech echoing inside of my ear, sounding so assured that I can't deny the truth in her sick words. 

"You're not getting rid of me that easily, pet~"

Shudder.

A heap of white and gold spandex lays over the guest room floor in a sprawl, as though marking the victim's body in a crime scene. A few shards of glass have dropped down onto the floor from the broken mirror, a scene of destruction and denial. In bed, I toss and turn, every time I close my eyes I see her face. I see my place, kneeling at her feet ready to take on the whole world for her cause. What cause is that? Global unification, the garden consuming all. She means to make slaves of us all and decorate it under guise of peace, but I'm strong enough to know that's wrong. Intrinsically I understand her goals and morals to be warped, as disparate and broken as that oversized mirror I've left my mark on. 

When my eyes fall back open in frustration at the elusive nature of sleep, of respite from these foreign sentiments I don't freely invite, this place and time almost doesn't feel real. Only for the first second or two, it's like I'm not where I should be, out of place, that I have somewhere I must return to. Well I still intend to confront the garden and its protectors so I suppose I'll be heading back sooner or later. Tomorrow, if Nova wants to stay on my good side. That she had other forces waiting in the wings makes me wonder what other lies she might have fed me with that silver spoon of hers, I'm not able to trust her. I don't have a strong foothold on this side of the net and Envy wants me on her team... worse than Nova, I'm not sure I trust myself. That version of me who became her knight was so pathetically weak in spirit, she fell for every single play they made on her hook line and sinker, like it was a scripted fucking affair. 

Eyes closed, I taste something rich and sweet melting on my tongue and decide to try and fight through it. I need sleep, I've seen how weak and easy I become when deprived of it. Beautiful shapely legs wander into my minds eye and I'm unable to look away, tugging desperately at the sheets and burying my face into the pillow. Leg raises and pushes me onto my back, a click from behind me urging me to be still when I begin to squirm. A burning blush spreads over my face like a wildfire and I bury it deeper into the pillow, squeezing my thighs around bunched up sheets and wishing they'd just leave me alone and let me be a hero. Envy's impossibly heavy boot drops onto my chest and I'm mesmerised by that weight, force grinding me down into the dirt where I belong. My very mind is a similar sort of soil, fertile for her new concepts to take shape within, leaving room for nothing but her toxic overgrowth that turns me into compliant husk. 

My eyes flick open and I'm out of breath, glad to be nude for how hot I feel. Even with my eyes open I can feel Envy's boot on my chest, reminding me of my place, telling me exactly what I am. A shameful hand I hate so dearly pushes down and traces over my front. With writhe and squirm, I let my eyes fall closed once again and this time give myself to the fantasy, it's just a silly dream and it'd be better to get it out of my system right? Right... I chew my lip and let hot breath collapse into my pillow, hand dropping lower to rub my lips tentatively. This feels so wrong, my mind showing me a vision of Laura's hot and sticky cunt smothering my stupid face, rubbing her scent onto me as I breathlessly accept the treatment. Murmur's strict tone lecturing me on Envy's vision, questioning my worldview as inch by inch I come around to her circular reasoning. A collar around my neck, a sword of justice, a belt locking away my slick heat, a fearsome red cape. 

Shame, humiliation, guilt and more all come flooding in from a time that never was and I begin to sweat into the sheets. Fingers play my body with desolate notes that unmake my sense of right and wrong, that tempt me into casting aside all I've ever known in favour of simple obedience to an all powerful empress I wouldn't know. I gasp at my own naughty touch, clamping thighs around my hand and pleading with teeth sinking into pillow that I can stop from debasing myself any further. I'm not... this isn't me. I'm a good girl, these memories should disgust me, repulsive acts of a worthless husk I must strive to be stronger than. 

Click.

"Hahh... y-yes Empress..." I can't help but rouse my clit for her, make myself all needy and hot and malleable. The mattress creaks beneath me from the violent thrashing, a conflict of the self that plays out between rational restraint and gleeful indulgence, a step into the dark I'll trust myself to keep locked in realm of fantasy. This is an outlet, I'm not doing anything wrong by getting off to it...

Flashes of violence and destruction pass by, overlaying Envy's sweet, poisonous affections. I'm horrified at the memories of what I did, even if I never did, but I'm unable to stop fucking myself with this despicable, desperate hand of mine that no longer obeys me. I feel cold metal in my hands bend and break so easily, explosions of shrapnel and splintered limbs. I'm so fucking wet I could die, even when I'm forced to remember the lives I took... she took... it wasn't me. Joy's a good girl, she's never hurt anybody... 

"Explain yourself or I'll break your neck."

Walls tighten around my slutty fingers as I recall the violence I displayed earlier, my eyes scrunching shut as tears well against them. I'm panting like a dog as I finger myself silly on the bed, my mind all flustered and confused, shame staining my face with dirty tears that only seem to egg me on further. I'm thoroughly fucking my ego on the bed, but it isn't my fault is it? All I did was close my eyes and I'm punished with the hottest and most horrifying glimpses of what I could become. There's absolutely nothing normal about this unnatural state of being.

Normal and natural.

My hips buckle and I whine out a puppy in heat, only realising how loud I'm being when I hear knuckles rap the door and feel myself paralysed by that awful, sobering sound. I don't reply to that knocking that can only be from Nova herself, I can't. After a few moments of catching my breath against the sheets slick with terror, I hear the door swinging open and feel too exhausted to call out for her to stop. This woman won't give me my privacy and I won't call her out for it, not right now when I yearn for anything to latch onto that isn't Envy's smug corruption making a mess of my thoughts. The garden's dark mistress doesn't even know how much of an effect she has on me, I'm doing all of this to myself and she's none the wiser... I wish even a dumb little thought like that didn't make my ears burn such deep crimson.

Nova steps into the room and looks down at me with stern eyes, flecked with gold and narrowing at the state of me. I'm so ashamed of myself that I can't quite meet her gaze, sulking into my pillow with half of my sweltry body on full display, curled around the sheets and flush with rosy hue. The woman nods her head in thought, closing the door behind her much to my surprise and then sitting herself down on the end of my bed. I feel her weight lower onto the mattress and it's enough of a touch to stimulate me, lifting my head to assess her and feeling so turned on by that calm smile of hers. 

"I thought you were having a night terror, something I'm well accustomed to. Perhaps you are but it appears yours differ some... ah, this is good, though. I told you earlier that I only really have one way of giving comfort and if you're open to it perhaps I can be of some use in this instance?" Nova's smile may be sweet, but an ethical woman she is not even as she appears so benevolent to me in my compromised state of lust and loss. I know how much she's been wanting my body to herself, capitalising on this opportunity to get what she wants while earning favour, taking advantage dressed up as moral victory. Still, I want her hands on me so badly, and she's not wrong... I need something to comfort me and drag me back from these dangerous fantasies before I get lost in them. Nova's not a good person, what she's doing isn't strictly right, but just as I remember thinking in her office the last time we were intimate like this... 

I simply don't fucking care anymore. 

Sheets slip down and drop into a heap on the floor beside my costume. I crawl forwards towards my new world of comfort and escape, climbing needily into Nicole's waiting lap and getting comfortable there. If she means to be selfish I'll be just as bad, wiping my sore red eyes and pressing back into her body. Nova smiles, I can hear it, a low throaty chuckle spilling out into my ear and making me simpler. Arms wrap around my waist and dip down deep to deliver pleasure in ways my own fingers felt lacking. I gasp and mewl against her touch, sinking deeper into her lap and loving it even when I know I shouldn't, when I know this touch is toxic. 

"I know just how you like it, you know? Just like Misty..." Nova's seductive words dispel the thoughts of Envy in an instant and tether me to this time, to her, to practiced hands that know just how to play me. Is it my lot to be used, I wonder, thinking back on everything that has happened since my fateful encounter with the hero Hivemind. It's... it's okay, being used can feel good sometimes, perhaps good enough to make you forget all the times it doesn't. 

"N-Nova I... I can't stop remembering... ahh... things I shouldn't." I hate that I'm seeking comfort from her not just with my body, but now this. Am I really so weak as to need somebody else to sort out every hardship I encounter for me? It's no wonder, then, that I always find myself put in my place by those with stronger wills. It's my lot because I love it... no, I'm just too spineless to have it any other way. I can be made to love it and sometimes that's enough. Nova's got a good lead on me in years, it shows both in experience and that husky tone that tickles my docile ear. 

"Yeah? Like what?" One hand stays bound to my sex while the other slithers over my front, groping at my chest and treating me like I'm a cheap, squeaky toy. 

"Mmmgh... l-like uh, hurting people and being okay with it... being her plaything, loving her. It's scary..." Why do I sound so guilty, like I'm confessing a crime? None of this ever even happened, for all intents and purposes it is all simply in my imagination. 

"Mmh... you're not her plaything Joy..." Nova reassures me, my former idol having her way with my body as I lean into her touch desperately, eager to feel like a hero again even if I don't think this is going to help with that. At least I'm not fantasising about Envy any more, so that's good. "You're mine." A playful, possessive tone, teeth nibbling my ear lobe and making me groan through gritted teeth. "For tonight, anyway. Aren't you?" 

So badly do I want to tell this woman to go fuck herself, to admonish her for being just as smug and opportunistic as our foe. Instead, I sink deeper into subspace, into the comfort of her spacious lap, into fingers that really do know exactly how to turn me on. "Nngh... yours..." My head tilts back and I turn it to bury face into her neck, the louder my muffled gasps become the deeper I bury myself into her. Nova's scent, Nova's warmth, Nova's soft skin I could break so easily... Yearning to have some kind of satisfaction of my own in this uneven exchange, I latch onto the woman's neck and decide I want to mark her. Leave proof that even a plaything like me has some bite, literally in this case, marring Nova's perfect skin in a single defiant act even if the rest of my body is unquestioning in its meek obedience. 

Just for tonight I'll be her plaything, but that doesn't mean I won't be a difficult bitch in heat, a feral beast of want. Maybe just one mark isn't enough to get the message across.

Chapter Three: The Leftovers

The revelatory light of a brand new day creeps over my calf and warms the skin so pleasantly you wouldn't know just what a rough night I had. Turns out that comfort comes in many shapes and forms, Nova's is rather intense but I'll concede that it was just the distraction that I needed, her hands working me into an exhaustion I could finally use to get some shut eye. As those tired eyes of mine flutter open, however, I realise that a few more hours could have served me even better. The sheets are a mess by my feet, Nova's arm the only thing draped over my naked form and th--

Wait, Nova's arm? No part of me had been anticipating her to stick around after using me the way she did, but here she is snuggled up to my side, fast asleep with an innocent look on her face I could almost consider cute. A soft mess of blonde mingles with my own strawberry mop, her lips slightly parted and once prime physique having atrophied some in her retirement. I'm reminded of our difference in age and experience once against while admiring her sleeping form, but take great satisfaction at just how many marks I left for the woman to remember me by after we depart for our mission and leave her here to rot. I wonder what became of Nova in that future that never happened and... never will. Try as I might to remember, I truly don't recall ever seeing her again as Envy's knight, so that's good. Had I memories of the sword being turned on Nova herself, the irony of sending a dog to putting down a human not lost on me, I don't think I'd be able to brush fingers through her hair right now quite so easily. 

"Mm... Misty?" Nicole's still halfway in the dream, eyes slowly opening with no discernible target for that distant look of hers. I take in her naked body, the first time properly seeing it, and realise an obvious fact that almost passed me by. It's not early at all, I forget that it was still morning when we were going at it and subsequently fell asleep. That light spilling into the room isn't a greeting, but a farewell. It's no longer quite so early in the day, we're probably going to need to eat soon. I should feel hungry but I feel well used to waiting, another memory I'd rather not have infect my life but finding myself powerless against its corruptive kiss. Discipline, it's hard to even want for myself without a firm hand of guidance. 

"Not quite." I answer her gently, even if a part of me has come to loathe this woman she seems far too sweet in this vulnerable moment that I'm not sure I'm ready for it to end. "It's Joy, I'm going to see if I can't make us something to eat that isn't fucking eggs, okay sleepy?" My lips press against her forehead and I can't help but smirk at the irony of my mouth giving her so tender a touch when looking back down at her neck and collarbone. Those bruises have really come through, not to mention the places in which my teeth broke the skin. The most untouchable woman in the world until recently and I've made her body my canvas of sweetened spite. Look who's the plaything now, Nova. 

The woman props herself up on an elbow and winces at the soreness, I'm barely able to contain my satisfaction at this and she picks up on that all too easily. I'm an open book in a world of professional liars. "You go do that, Joy. Excited for some dinner after we skipped lunch, though... suppose we both had our fill, hm?" Her composure is commendable, the woman much better at carrying herself with an air of confidence as suffocating as thick smog. "Oh and could you fetch my cane?"

Sitting up, casting eyes over to the doorway, I scoff and return my gaze to Nicole. My head dips down and I plant a possessive kiss of my own onto the sorest looking spot on her collarbone and risk a slight smirk. "You'll manage." Legs swing over the side of the bed and I find a nightie to cover myself up with, not quite ready to get in costume just yet, that'll come tomorrow morning when I'm finally ready to pay Envy back for these strange thoughts dragging me down. Emotional baggage I don't deserve. With slow steps I fight the weakness in my legs, Nicole really did bring me to heel with just her fingers and a few well placed words. I reach the door and swing it open, playfully knocking her cane over by the entrance and glancing back at her dumbfounded stare. "Crawl if you have to."

After criticising Mrs. Black on her culinary crimes, I've found myself standing in the kitchen in this open nightie cooking the simplest thing I could find. Still, variety is the spice of life and who doesn't like pasta? Steam rises from the stove and I wipe my brow with a contented sigh, feeling so much better than I had this morning. My head feels as clear as it did before my vision, which evidently isn't indicative of any real sense of will. I know I'm not very headstrong, I'm impressionable and all too easy to push around, but ever since I was little I've wanted to be a hero and I'm proud of myself for making that happen. Even the agency I got my street license from ended up pushing me around, rinsing me for every dime they could make off my back. A part of me wonders how it would have been if I really did make it into the Nova Hero Agency as I was on the path to, sure she would have used me but I imagine that the benefits would have been nothing to sneeze at. Mutual benefit, symbiosis, even if a wholly unequal one. That's what I shared with Nova just now, we used each other to vent and if she thinks I'm going to play wives with her after such a transactional lay then the woman can think again. Maybe if I finally learn to grow a backbone, I won't be so easily swayed by the cold comforts of my captors in a reality like the one in my dream. Perhaps I could resist somebody like Envy even against my own frail instincts. Self preservation is nothing to judge too greatly, but it has no real place in a hero's heart. I'll be better this time around, I'll be good. 

But I won't be hope. That name, even the word, is tainted for me now. At some point during my conditioning into her perfect pet knight, Envy stopped using the name Joy entirely and exclusively called me Hope. Not only was the name an ironic, mocking one in hindsight, but it stripped me of my former identity. Joy is precious to me, it's my name. Envy already discarded it for herself so I feel an obligation to keep that fire burning. If I can't embody hope with a straight face, perhaps instead I should simply focus on my namesake. A unified world would be rather joyless, any happiness Envy would give the people would be hollow and conditional. It's not paradise, it's peace through emotional paralysis, it's a static reality in which nothing would have any real meaning. I wonder if that future would give her joy, Envy, or if she simply can't control herself any better than I can. 

"You look like you're lost in thought, not a great thing to be when you're cooking, dear." Given my heightened senses I'm a little disheartened to find that Nova is at my back when I hadn't even sensed her approach. I didn't hear her footsteps at all, a woman with such commanding aura sneaking up on someone so wrapped up in it, she's not wrong about me being lost in thought. My mind is a dreadful fucking maze lately, no wonder I seek to be rid of it at my earliest convenience, the moment that going gets tough the temptation to give up entirely touches me deeply. How does one earn themselves willpower, I wonder idly, as I feel Nicole at my back a looming presence. "Water's going to boil over if you don't give it a stir, silly girl." Nova's arms reach around me and she holds the sauce pan's handle, wooden spoon in the other to gently stir the pasta I'm staring down at like a dumbass. 

After everything I just told myself, I let Nova get so close I can feel my back against her, catching the scent of her exertion from that long morning of 'comfort' and feeling a blush rising to my face. She's still my hero deep down, somewhere I can't block it out, and she's giving me such personal attention that I'm not entirely sure I can handle. For a while the woman stirs and so too do my thoughts, proving her right once again and questioning my own sense of self-respect. The woman acts as though we're lovers, it makes me want to dunk her hand into this bubbling water before us. I've already left enough damage on her skin for one day, turning around in her arms and leaning against the countertop as she tends to our food. Beside me a picked out a sauce packet to go along with it, I did tell her that I was accustomed to student cooking at the end of the day. 

Facing Nova, her arms still trapping me against the counter under the pretence of stirring, my eyes trace over her blemished skin and I can't help but grin at my own handiwork. I didn't know I had it in me and only remember making half of them, it tells a tale of frustration and need. Did the woman intentionally dress in this low cut sweater to put them on display for me? That might be the sweetest thing she's done thus far. 

"Hmm... guess if I didn't already have your blood in me before now..." For some reason I'm chewing my lip, staring at the broken skin on the woman's neck and feeling a rush of arousal that reminds me that regardless of the reasons, I'm most certainly batting for the same sex these days. I can't deny how attracted I am to Nova in particular, feeling drunk off the sight of her marked by me and me alone. Before I split from Envy, we're the ones who made her weak like this to begin with. In a way, Nova's my bitch, maybe I could consider that from time to time when she has the gall to claim me her plaything in my moment of vulnerability. 

I actually earn a blush from the woman, hating how accomplished it makes me feel when I rightly shouldn't care. "Joy, come to bed with me tonight okay? We've already slept together once so I'd consider the ice broken there, no? It'd be nice to have some company at night for once and, well, I'll be alone again tomorrow now won't I?" I can't tell if she means to appeal to my good nature or my own fragile desire, lust that keeps me under thumb with undeniable comforts. "At least consider it, okay girl?"

"Hm... would you make me your plaything again? You're... an obnoxious woman." So easily could I break out of her hold here, one so subtle you could barely label it as such if I didn't know better.

"Ahaha... uhm, perhaps I would. I just meant sleep though, truthfully I'm not sure I'll be ready for a round two come nightfall after how rough you were with me this morning. That was the last thing I had expected Joy, though I suppose it shouldn't have been. Misty was gentler, well naturally she loved me so she was more careful with her touch, but that woman was just as inclined to mark her territory where she could. Ah... I'm talking about her like I've been widowed, I'm sure you understand." 

"Yeah... but pity won't make me fuck you, Nova." She doesn't know how dangerous I can become, or maybe she does and means to control me in the same way that Murmur had, that Envy had. In the past, I've always been to scared to bare my teeth both conversationally and against the scum and villainy of our fallen city. The orchard was hardly an aggressive power and I felt that it suited a pacifist sweetheart like me perfectly, though perhaps in hindsight I was simply full of shit. I was just too shy to tell people what I really thought, to risk being seen as anything but wholesome and pure. Nova doesn't deserve such skittishness, she'd only seek to take advantage. Manipulative women like her and Miss Murmur need someone who can cut through their bullshit, I'd go as far to say they'd enjoy it. Judging by that husky chuckle I earn from the woman who drives me crazy, I'd say I'm right on the money. Gold bullion, in this instance. 

"Oh, Joy. I think we both know who'd be doing the fucking, you're also just as needy... and bratty, as she was." I can't imagine Murmur playing the needy brat in a way that at all resembles myself, the thought distracting me from the way she just so casually labelled me one. Then again, my thoughts become a disparate mess entirely when the woman's hand slips down the open front of my nightie and cups my mound like she's claiming ownership. One arm yet stirs pasta that's been ready to drain and serve for minutes now while the other holds me there in possessive grip, my head tilting to the side to exhale a whimpering breath over my shoulder. Forget Nicole's choice of sweater, I can't deny that I dressed this provocatively myself to capture her attention, perhaps I'm just as needy as she says. What's the expression... all bark and no bite?

Click.

"I'm not your pet!" I mutter under my breath, fighting the urge to submit to phantom click. Nicole's hand stops and she removes it, having assumed my response was to her. Given how disrespectful she has been up until now on account of her own pathetic desire, I'm a little taken aback by her not just treating my words as another 'bratty' response meant to egg her on further. Why do I feel the need to explain that I didn't mean for her to stop? To grab her wrist and return those fingers to their place so that she may bully me with them for just a little longer before we eat? Instead, I give her wry smile and turn to cut open the sauce packet, not quite sure how to end this hanging silence that makes me wish someone hanged me alongside it. 

We eat together and engage in casual chatter, but I can't help but feel that I've disappointed, or at least embarrassed the woman who has now begun to annoy me in the complete opposite way to how she had before. Nova has suddenly become too respectful, courteous, her polite manners making me want to speck her face with pasta in the same way Laura had back before everything in my life exploded. It feels like years ago that I sat and ate lunch with her between lectures, if I'd told that girl who I'd be sharing my meals with half a year later there's no doubt she'd call me a liar. 

"Well, I'm off to bed." I rise in a huff, having half eaten my meal and found my appetite lacking. This body has the luxury of running much longer without sustenance than a regular person's would, something that Envy took full advantage of in her brainwashing that never was. Deprivation is an effective tactic, rest, food and pleasure all held off to make me weaker, easier to manipulate. I taste the fruits of Envy's labour even now, trying not to think about the implications as I settle in for an early night even if I know it'll be a while before that midnight mistress takes me on account of napping most of the actual day away. Again, I simply wanted to be alone, I think. Last time I was left to my own devices I didn't handle it very well, I feel the need to prove to myself that it was just a one time incident and that I can be trusted to sit still without immediately becoming lost in future fantasies. 

Back in my room, back to the door, back to that mireful maelstrom of memory that has its hold on me. Has this been a productive day for me? Despite all this inner turmoil and my frustration with Nicole, I can't say I haven't made some progress in finding a version of myself that isn't such a pushover. That woman likely thinks I'm playing hard to get but I'll make it known that I'm not, deciding to turn the lock on the guestroom door this time even if I must assume she has a master key. 

That sight of her skin, battered by bitter affection, plays on my mind like a skipping record. Why can't I remember anything regarding what became of Nova after my fall to Envy in that vision of potential future? Why do I even care so much? I should have changed it all by now, even just delaying my departure by another day. Not to mention, I've managed to scrounge up just a little more willpower after heeding this threat and going toe to toe with my former hero, or so I'd love to believe. It would be so comforting to truly think that I'm a strong person than the one who left this place under the silly title of Lady Hope, but even if I'm impressionable I'm not that clueless. My weakness is a terminal disease, like Murmur's fatal amnesia, the only way I can escape it is by submitting to someone stronger. Envy would have me bend the knee and act the puppy, Nova would have me become her soldier that she can toy with all she likes. 

A pet knight or a toy soldier, two potential futures of the hapless heroine Joy Williams, not a title to hide behind that hasn't been bastardized by the beckoning stare of time. 

Standing before the cracked mirror with a vulnerable glower at my own immodest form, I shrug the nightie off onto the floor beside the scrunched up costume I really should be hanging up for tomorrow's outing. Eyes flick back up to see those dark feathered wings again, encasing me in a cocoon suggesting a metamorphosis I plainly reject. 

"That was a cute look on you, pet, wearing your 'knightie' for your new queen. As long as you're still smart enough to find someone to serve, I suppose I won't be too much of a sore loser for being snubbed this go around. After all, I'm still in your ear~"

I've come to realise that responding to a hallucination is a surefire way to encourage your own mental decline and so I turn away from the mirror with little fanfare, nails digging into my hip to keep me tethered to this time and place. Envy can't reach me here, she doesn't even know where I am or that I'm going to be entering her garden come tomorrow morning. These thoughts of mine are a trick, what sort of superpower plays such cruel mental games? Murmur was lucky her visions were vague, I've come to find that knowing the future is... tiring. Still, without the heads up, I suppose these terrible things I've witnessed precognitively would have become my reality. 

I drop my weight onto the bed a wet bag of rice, wondering what tomorrow will bring. Nova has been awfully coy about who she has to form this team I'll be delving back into the garden with, though I can only assume they're what's left of the Nova Hero Agency after most of it was consumed in Envy's rapid unification. Just what did I miss in those months of sleep? The city must have been in chaos and then... quiet, it's rather eerie from the outside looking in. Having been in the centre of that calm, I know it heralds yet another storm as quiet often does. How long do we have before she mobilises? They were waiting for me before, Envy's final vision of the future and I've already changed it. She must be so confused... why does it pang my chest to have let her down like this?

Time passes and I manage to stave off the talon grip of memory that pulled me deep into its clutches last I was alone, thinking on it from behind a window of safety this time instead of falling back down the rabbit hole and living through it. It's a vicarious relationship I share with the knight, it does me well to remember she isn't me, the me in the here and now who wonders how... 

How the hell are we going to stop Envy's spread?

It's a thought that I decide to shelf for the time being, turning over in bed and staring at the wall's crooked smile. "You're not getting to sleep that easily, Joy." The wall tells me through my own errant whispering, a hand running through my hair as I wish so badly I could cool off any other way. Before I met with Hivemind in that distant alley and my entire life spiralled into the plot of a bad porno flick, I really was a very innocent girl. Not that I think it's particularly shameful to do so in the first place, I barely ever masturbated, finding the act far too embarrassing to perform under any circumstances while I lived in a dorm. Cut to that fateful night in the bathroom, sitting in the shower touching myself to a woman's voice, to Hivemind's saccharine words that made my ear hot and sickly against the phone. 

A hand wanders down between my legs and I begin to touch myself in languid motion, deciding it best not to make the same mistake I had last time but reasoning that this relief is needed. If I can't masturbate to my memories of Envy and all that falls under her garden's reach, I only really have one fresh memory to fuel my fire. Nova. Nicole Black, despicable and frail, domineering and pathetic. She's the only person in my life right now, for better or worse, and our intimacy has become wrong on just as many levels as it feels so right. My eyes gently close and I become bolder in my strokes, taming these beady folds just as badly as I want Nova to try and tame me, even if these fingers somehow don't know the way I like it as confidently as she does. The more aroused I become, the more my reason is compromised by a conflagration of desire. So badly do I yearn for Nova's hand in place of mine, her lips against my neck telling me what a good girl I'm becoming so I can bark back in playful protest. A long, breathy sigh escapes my lips and my cheek burns hole into the pillow covering. "Hhn... Nova...." 

I keep an ear out for the door, becoming more desperate and frustrated as time passes. Subconsciously my play grows in volume, a hope to repeat the events of this morning that had her swooping in like a vulture. When nothing happens, I almost kick my legs in tantrum, instead swinging them over the edge of the bed and finding my slippers. Wearing nothing but the fluffy footwear that carries me over to the door in a trance of walk, I open the door and shiver at the draft against my bare skin. Small goosebumps form over my arms and chest and I consider if I really mean to do this, another role cast in this pantomime of the self. Did Nova buy into the hammed up performance? She's always had a soft spot for a bit of theatre, not only that but Misty had her fooled before I got the chance to walk in that woman's footsteps. I'm not Misty, Joy is no spouse to Nicole, but while the woman lays alone in bed I suppose it's mutually beneficial for me to fill the role even if I am the squarest peg you could find. Apparently not, as far as Nicole has come to suggest, but to be compared to a woman like Miss Murmur is just the right level of ironic humour for a pantomime like this. 

"She's behind you, pet."

Oh no she isn't. The only person I've got on my mind right now is on the other side of this door, dead ahead. Let it be on my head. The handle turns, too late to go back now, even if I read her signals all wrong I'm afraid I've committed to this act of intrusion mirroring her own. It's only paying back what I'm owed, right? I don't think Nova has the right to complain when she asked me to share her bed in the first place. A woman like her could be swayed by pettiness and pride above all else, however, and may have let her disappointment from earlier fester into resentment. 

Still, she didn't lock her door. 

Taking care to close the door behind me quietly, I peer over at the bed upon which pale moonlight spills in from tall window. I'm accustomed to living with blinds, but Nova's old house only has curtains which gently flap on account of the window being left ajar. With sheets hanging from the bed as though kicked off in frustration, I take in the sight of Nicole's heaped form, skin bathed in the moon's glow that makes her look ethereal. 

Suddenly questioning myself but figuring it too late to turn back now, I press on with carefully placed steps and gently lower myself down onto the side of Nova's bed. Head turned over my shoulder to look back at her, I can't help the smile creeping onto my lips. Hair draped over the woman's pillow and arms wrapped around herself in an almost defensive looking manner. And then there are those gifts I gave her, looking so beautiful in this dim and natural light. With a sense of calm I drop onto my side and shuffle back, making a mess of my lip out of bundled nerves and excitement. Our last night together, not that me and Nova are anything worth labelling nor lamenting the end of. I can't help but wonder... if I always had a thing for older women. 

"Mmh?" Nicole stirs when I sink back into her comforting slump, reaching back to find her wrist and curling fingers around it in possessive vice grip, superpowered hold that pulls her arm over me and doesn't stop there. "Joy?" Asks the lady of the house, having dropped into sleep much more easily than I and now finding herself in rude awakening. A part of me resents her for having fallen to slumber so easily, leaving me to stew in these confusing thoughts I could never claim to control very effectively. The only thing I have control of right now is Nova's hand, pulling it between my legs and bringing them up to trap her between my thighs like the brat she claims me to be. I crave her touch like an addict waiting for their next hit, feeling lips suddenly grace the back of my head and that low, throaty chuckle that always ruptures my composure. Serrated edge of seduction saws into my confident facade and I grow meeker against the woman's inviting warmth the moment her fingers begin to reciprocate and give me exactly what I want, exactly how I like it. 

"You know, you're a very troublesome girl.... but I knew you'd be in my bed before long. At least, I had hoped." Nova's tongue coats the back of my neck and I shudder in delight, breathless against those expert fingers that have me twitching in another bout of ecstasy. I've become a very lewd woman, I realise, but I'll accept anything to stave off that call of the void. I've become a mewling, wanton whore of hero, descending into a dark cocoon of comfort wrought by measured touch, a pinch that has me panting into pillow and wishing tomorrow never came. 

"N-Nova..." A coo of name escapes my lips before I can stop it, a breathless laugh at my own lack of self-control following shortly after. 

"Yes, flower?" Her nails brush over slick skin but unlike Miss Murmur they don't dare to scratch. Even so, I know her touch is just a different vial of poison, infecting me with want. 

"What do you really want, Joy?" Envy's test plays through my mind, a flash of her knight taking the knee and nuzzling her owner's hand with such belonging I could choke. 

"Hahh... uhm... nothing." Vision blurs, my psyche drifting off into something resembling sleep, a close enough approximation to keep me satisfied in any case.

"Good girl." "Good girl." 

Oh, joy. 

Chapter Four: Heaven and Hell

Daybreak calls in earnest this time, its firm commanding hand stroking up my arm over bicep and gripping my shoulder. 

"Awaken, knight." It spits into my ear with a voice much like my own but more powerful than mine could ever hope to be. Who am I to deny my orders? Eyes flicker open and my mind switches channels, prying out of stranger's needy hold on autopilot and sleepwalking out of the room. If I've no more orders to carry out as knight, it's only natural to return to the tower and kneel at my Empress' feet, becoming docile pet until she gives me another mission to make her happy with. 

Naked and entranced, eyes half open in my sluggish wandering, I descend the steps of the main hall and approach the front door. Where am I? There are no vines, no trace of Envy's presence here. I can't even catch whiff of her scent, it's horrible. This suffocating fresh air I can only tolerate when I've orders to carry out, right now it makes me want to rip these lungs right from my chest. I love Envy... I... did our enemies capture me? I'll go outside, maybe her spores will reach me there and rejuvenate me with their benevolent pollination. The world at large has no idea what's coming their way, they seriously think they have Envy contained, it's... sickeningly adorable, like a pet who forgets its place. 

With arms that can tear through frontlines a thousand men weak, I push open the doors to this mysterious manor and step out into the morning air, wind kissing my cheeks and urging caution. My trained senses catch that something is off before the first warning shot is made. I hold my hand out to inspect the red dot crawling over it and fight the urge to crack a grin, Miss Murmur would give me a slap on the wrist for such an indulgent display of unnecessary emotion in this form and I yearn for her clicks almost as much as I need Envy's affections to give me purpose. The pet can smile and frown as it pleases so long as empress is kept entertained, but a knight should be unreadable. 

The laser sights dance across my naked body in warning before settling on my head now that I've received the message. Ants cosplaying soldiers, I'll only pity those who survive. 

"Joy!" 

A woman approaches the threshold of the house from inside, wide eyes urging me to desist. Her shout was haggard and panicked. I recognise her, I... "Nova?" 

"Come back inside for heaven's sake or they'll shoot, what the hell are you thinking?" She speaks down to me in a way that only Envy and her lieutenants can, but for some reason I feel swayed by that straining voice that speaks of heaven and hell in a single breath. I wonder which of the two we're all headed for in this present state of affairs. 

"Paradiso." Envy's a snake in my ear, reminding me of my place so graciously when a dumb, useless bitch like me always falters. Even faulty goods have their use when forced into submission. "Kill her, Hope. She isn't your friend. Just another enemy who threatens heaven on earth."

My body turns back towards the open doors of Nova's mansion and I raise my arm slowly, her piercing stare not faltering even in the face of death. The soldiers finally take their shot and I'm surprised to find darts sink deep into my neck, they were just tranquilisers? Embarrassing. Body fighting off the chemicals flooding my bloodstream, I take heavy steps into the house and approach Nova, reaching out to squeeze her throat until the woman stops giving me that look that almost makes me feel guilty. 

Before I can carry out Envy's will, however, I'm halted by a piercing sound so discordant and overpowering it has me dropping onto my knees at Nova's feet, eyes bulging and saliva hanging down from my lolling tongue. Awful noise pushes into my head and brings me to heel even when the woman in front of me seems completely unaffected. Her hand runs through my hair and I'm powerless to stop her, cupping my ears to no avail. It's so nauseating I can't breathe, blinking several times until I slowly remember where I am... who I am. 

I'm not Hope, I'm Joy. How many fucking times am I going to need to remind myself this obvious truth?

"Looks like we got here just in the nick of time, eh? You alright, Nic?" Several sets of footsteps spill into the house and the unpleasant noise finally subsides, leaving a ringing in my ears. Regaining my bearings and waking up into an absolute shitshow I can only half piece together, I turn to see a face I'd never have expected coming so close to in this place and time. Mint, one of Nova's big four, addressing Nova with some concern while playfully dropping her hand onto my bare shoulder. Only now am I reminded of my nudity, the crowded hall given full view of my body with not a scrap of modesty to my name. Oh god, are these Nova's heroes? Such a lovely first impression!

Nova rubs her neck, smirking as she gestures to the marks she already wears without a shred of shame, her humility is commendable and surprising for a woman so concerned with image in her past. "Nothing I can't handle. Don't let the cane fool you, Sage, I'm not a fragile woman."

Sage? Even in this delirious state of kneel, I'm sharp enough to piece things together from that. Given that the woman looks near identical to Mint I can assume her a twin sister. How must she feel having to oppose her twin in Envy's garden? I suppose in a sense, I can relate. 

Mind snapping back into place, I find myself awash with confusion and concern. In a state of sleepwalk I appear to have experienced a sort of mental relapse into becoming Envy's knight, though I'm not entirely sure if the term applies in this case given this is technically my first offense. The strange event did highlight a couple of interesting factors of my stay here that Nicole did not elect to mention, namely the men posted outside of the house armed and ready. Sage casually plucks the darts from my neck and I think on the other factor... they have a method of subduing me and me alone. Mint's swarm used a similar method that dropped me right out of the sky, but this was even more overpowering. The similarities don't end there either, I can feel microchips beneath the surface of my skin and figure that was the true purpose behind those ineffective tranquiliser darts. Once the chips took hold, though only temporarily given my body's defences, their strange frequency became too powerful for me to fight while allowing Nova to stand up straight in perfect comfort. Such measures to ensure I behave, these people are almost identical to Envy's forces. 

Given the similarity of the tech and methods used, I can only assume this Sage woman is directly responsible for... helping me return to my senses. That's right, I should be pleased about this regardless of the deceit, not having control over my own actions is a frightening thing. Doubly so when I consider the frigid comfort it brings, that temptation to let go. Nova helps me onto my feet and I lean against her with some embarrassment at my reliance on her to walk, quietly whispering that I'd like to get dressed before properly meeting the team. I'm too humiliated to turn and get a proper look at them, but I hear the wolf whistle on our way up the stairs and find my resolve to not react assuredly put to the test. My senses tell me that there are only five of them, which is not very many but also five more than Nova led me to believe she had on hand. My nose tells me that one... no, two of those five, carry Envy's scent. Just what the hell am I getting myself into here?

"Mint has a twin?" I probe Nova as we enter the guestroom and she pulls open the wardrobe to retrieve a spare outfit not covered in creases. Oh yes, I'd absolutely hate to make a bad impression on the people who just witnessed me butt naked trying to murder their boss, the most famous hero on the planet even if she is out of commission. 

"Sage? Yes, though it's a much less interesting story than the one you and Envy will be telling your grandkids I'm sure." Nova helps me dress into the costume and I let her coddle me if only to savour the last few chances I'll have to enjoy her touch before we depart. "Let's put a pin in that for a moment, Joy, I think we need to discuss what just happened this morning." Soft fingertips trace over the tiny holes on the back of my neck and I allow my eyes to fall closed, able to stave off visions of Envy's dark throne while Mrs. Black's surprisingly delicate touch keeps me tethered. 

"A... momentary relapse, maybe you should have held on tighter in bed." I let out a sardonic chuckle before remembering the gravity of the situation. Overwhelming gravity as always, if they don't feel they can keep a handle on me I can only guess at the contingencies. "Don't worry, I've got a hold on it. I just forgot myself in the moment, half awake as I was... I don't plan on sleeping in Envy's garden so I should be okay." I turn to face Nicole, grabbing her wrists and forcing her to cradle my face, warming my cold cheeks with her hands. "Besides, if Sage is coming along she's going to be keeping an eye on me right? I get it, this morning certainly spells the need for that sort of back up plan... just don't fucking lie to me about it. I need to trust someone, Nova, or you'll have yet another Envy on your hands. Don't forget she came into being after being used by both sides." I'm surprised at the boldness of my words, perhaps I really have found a spine to speak of. 

Nova's eyes narrow and she assesses my face sternly for a few seconds of deep thought. Eventually she softens, rubbing my cheeks as one would tease a kitten. "Ah, how can I say no when you're being so good for me. It's not your fault, Joy, what happened. I can see you understand that already but I felt the need to let you know how I see it, too. You're right about Envy and we take no pleasure in putting you through something even remotely similar to that, but I'm sure you can understand our desperation? After the transfusion I fought tooth and nail for you to keep your freedom so that you might help us with this prickly situation, as part of that agreement arrangements were made. Power such as yours, in unstable hands, is a recipe for disaster and Envy is the result. Perhaps I was wrong to keep this from you but can you blame me for being unsure exactly how you'd take it given your counterpart?" Nova gives a wry smile and kisses my forehead. "We can worry about right and wrong after the city is saved, Joy, for now the people need your help. Isn't that more important than anything else? It's something heroes like us need to accept."

Heroes like us? 

"I thought you weren't going to lie to me anymore, Nova? Don't tell me you don't take pleasure in using me, when you've already taken, and given, plenty of it." My arms wrap around her neck and I pull the woman into a bitter kiss, giving her one more thing to remember me by, a busted lip signed with loveless catharsis. Nova does not appear to be displeased with my forwardness, holding my waist and enjoying the fruit of her labour. I'm still a bad apple, rotten to the core, because I'm sticking my tongue down the throat of the woman I loathe. 

After cleaning up as best we can, the two of us exit the guest room one last time and prepare to make proper introductions with the patient heroes who answered Nova's summons. "Are they all that's left of the Nova Hero Agency?" I ask the woman who still licks her broken lip, side-eyeing me like the brat I am as I hold onto her hand and dig nails into her palm. This playful touch will have to end before we reach the top of the stairs, so I decide to make the most of it. 

"Well, I suppose two of them are." My host responds sheepishly, her heartrate picking up as we draw nearer. 

"Only two? Then... what about the other three?" My head attacks her shoulder and I realise I've become accustomed to intimacy with this woman, it really was a refreshing change of pace to play house with her even if hypothetical footage of the time could have us psychoanalysed to hell and back, perhaps beyond. 

"Patience, flower. You'll find out soon enough, I'd rather explain it in their presence. It's going to be ah... somewhat strenuous. Remember that you did just promise to behave and we're past the sugar-coating of your freedoms here, so please try and remain civil."

"Ugh... that does not inspire much confidence, but I'll do my best. Guess I made just about the worst first impression I possible could have so I'm already on the backfoot. I'll be good, only 'cause you asked so sweetly hehe. Uhm... is that something you used to call Misty... flower?" It makes my heart leap a little traitorously whenever the word escapes her lips, running away with my thoughts.

Nova pauses for a moment, lips curling indecently as we're finally forced to stop holding hands. Gosh, we're such touch starved beasts. "Oh... not at all. That one's all yours." 

The words make my chest feel like it's going to explode. 

Finale: Heroes, Villains and Flowers

With Nova leading the way, this woman I've come to glance at in newfound light yet again, we descend into the manor's main hall to greet her patient party of leftovers and outcasts. The moment I begin to recognise several of these people is a wake up call that reminds me just how dire the situation in the city is. Two in particular give me pause and I'm left unsure how to even feel about their presence here, glancing down at the ground as I attempt to calm my fraying nerves. I'll allow myself to be distracted with the easier introductions first, Nova lifting my head with that moreish touch I assumed she wished to keep to herself in the company of others, two firm fingers under my chin that guide me up to make eye contact with a relaxed looking Sage. I'm admittedly taken aback at first by the woman's nonchalance even after subduing me last minute less than an hour ago. It's a level of confidence I find comforting, at the very least, to know somebody is around with enough self-assurance to handle my darker side. Better yet, someone who doesn't appear to hate me for it. Like Nova said, I'm not to be blamed for the relapse, but I had been prepared for the other members of the team to feel unsafe in my presence and paranoid about the outcome of the mission. Perhaps this is projection of my own fears I wouldn't dare voice with Nova and the city relying upon my aid, but then... we still have four other members to greet. 

"So this is the little troublemaker who took your power, eh Nic?" Sage laughs drily, leaning back against a cabinet full of trophies Nova earnt in her youth from various different sports and activities. A hand reaches out to ruffle my hair and I blow out a hot puff of air in frustration, glowering at her though not all too seriously. Mostly I'm still nervous about coming face to face with the others, so I'm happy to drag out my introduction here. "Guess the gal who's telling my sis what's what now has the same face as you, huh? I can't imagine such a cute villainess, I guess you really never can call it haha." 

"S-seriously..." My grumble is mostly performative, though I'll concede this woman embarrasses me with her behaviour in a very similar fashion to my aunt at family gatherings after a single glass of sherry. Not that I've had a family gathering in a very long time, she's about the only person I'd still want to see and... well, I suppose she'd deep in Envy's garden somewhere. I'd rather not think about any members of family gone dryad, there's a chance they evacuated of course, though no contact has been made. That doesn't mean there's been no attempts, I remind myself, I'm not exactly the free woman in this house that Nova made me out to be. Right now, I'm cut off from the world, family and friends aren't a luxury I'm permitted to have until this whole mess is over. 

"Nova called ahead about your whole identity crisis thing, we can hardly call you out on it when a member of own little ragtag force is much the same, I'm used to reining her in when she forgets herself so you can count on me to do the same with you. I ah... hope you don't start hating me for it, know it ain't the most pleasant thing to be treated like some wild animal." Sage seems much more well meaning, honest hearted, than her techie twin sister. It's refreshing to have somebody so earnest in this warden role.

"You're not a wild animal, Hope, you're a very well trained and obedient one."

"So uh, the five of you all know each other already?" I got that impression from what she just told me, her mention of their 'ragtag force' as she put it. 

Sage looks over her shoulder at the other four and I try not to follow her gaze, still not sure what to make of a certain pair I spy with my little eye. Even if my guard is raised, Sage's trust in them seems to put me at ease some, she seems like someone I can immediately put my faith in. It's hard to reconcile with the fact that her own twin is Discoman's creator, but even Mint herself was no worse than the woman at my back. Nova's as rotten as the man shooting me smug look from across the room, I'm just sporting a heavy bias in favour of the woman who calls me 'flower' instead of 'bitch'. 

"Oh, yeah. Last superhero team up this side of the country, not that we're much super. Only a few of us can call ourselves heroes, but Nic's been commanding us like she would a real hero cell. Guess her little pet project was kept out of the loop on our business as much as we were left in the dark on what exactly your deal is. Though we got a short brief, some reacted better than others ahaha. That woman's a real piece of work but... between you and me? Cut Nic some slack, she's got the big dogs of government breathing down her neck. If it weren't for her we'd all be in cells. I mean all of us, anybody with a whiff of power bordering on super. You catch my drift?" The woman tidies up her light green bangs and peers over my shoulder at Nicole Black, a women pretending very poorly not to eavesdrop on our hushed exchange. 

Trying my best to swallow that, I take one last glance at Mint's surprisingly friendly sister before deciding it best to move on if we're to leave the house with light still shining fortune upon our heads. Just like Mint, Sage has pale green hair straighter than a sapphic slut like me could ever hope to be, wearing long leather coat with matching boots and some manner of tactical vest underneath that makes me think of Firefly. I realise I've assumed her the leader of this group with very little to give me that impression save for that radiance that could light up a room, warm russet brown skin I'd feel much more incentivised to leave unblemished. Hers is a touch I think would cure rather than poison, Nova deserved teeth while Sage could be loved with lips alone. Since when do I imagine myself with every woman I make introductions with? 

"P-Pleasure meeting you, Sage, I'm looking forward to... working with you?" I'm in way over my head, not sure exactly how to talk to these people who appear much more put-together than I currently feel. In the past, my team ups with other heroes have been in random gatherings on the streets... and I'd really rather not think back on my last one. Those rookie heroes did not deserve to be wrapped up in my mess of feeling, but that seems to be missing the forest for the trees at this late stage, an entire city overgrown. 

"Likewise, Joy. No hero name?" Her smile is clean, refreshing, a far cry from that busted lip Nova does her best to hide. 

"I... no. I'm just Joy, suits me fine if it flies with the rest of you." I'm still not ready to unpack this one, best just hope she lets me off easy.

"Liar, liar, a garden on fire. Where's your Hope gone, lady?"

"Oh gotcha, no problem. I don't have one either, never even got a license. Haven't really seen eye to eye with my sister in a long while, but hey, I'm technically older and it's a big sister's duty to pull the other right out of the shit I reckon. Even if she is just getting a taste of her own medicine." With a complicated look she hides well behind a friendly grin, Sage playfully nudges me along to the next member of the team and I secretly hope we can get the rest of these introductions over with a little more quickly, don't we have a city to save?

My eyes fall upon a set of amber jewels dulled by sleepless nights. At first I assume my familiarity with the tired look is on account of its similarity to Miss Murmur's own dark circles, but then I recognise much more and find my lips curling upwards naturally. "Oh my god, Cowl? I've never seen you without a mask!" My enthusiasm isn't likely to move the old acquaintance of mine very much, Black Cowl has always been stoic to a fault, it used to bother me but I'm just thankful to see someone I know I can rely on through thick and thin. My eyes peer down curiously and I realise the hero's shadow is indeed missing, wondering where they might have stowed it. 

"It's been a while, Orchard. I'd say your appearance has changed a lot more than mine, I simply removed the hood and mask." I'm shocked and delighted to see the impenetrable soldier of shadow crack a thin smile at our reunion, their dark amber eyes taking in my new costume. It's funny, I always hated that scrappy apple fit but now I've come to miss it dearly. You always seem to want what you don't have, perhaps somebody needs to teach Envy this. Black Cowl is right though, they still don the same black costume giving the appearance of dark bandages wrapped around their body with tattered cape a mess of shadow at their back to replace what's missing. For once I've view of their face, a gaunt and pale visage that almost appears sickly, with long black hair swept back into low ponytail.

"Ahahaha, please call me Joy. New costume sure, but I'm the same as I ever was." 

"Even you don't buy that one, pet. You're lusting after women like they're on offer at your favourite high street retailer. Fucking away your shame and handing the keys to your soul over to anyone generous enough to poke holes in your wet-paper willpower."

It could have been them, this hero in front of me. I could have hurt them the way I have others. "Cowl I... I'm sorry, about everything. About Envy." My hands begin to fidget, restless fingers wrestling for dominance against my nerves. 

"We all have shadows we can't escape from, Joy. You're taking action and for that, I'll follow and assist." The irony of somebody telling me that with no shadow cast behind them aside, that may just have been the coolest response anybody could have possibly given in the face of my vulnerability. Stoicism has its charm, I suppose.

"I'm really happy you're here, Cowl. You... don't strike me as a hugger." I raise my fist and give an awkward smile, not quite able to accept the unspoken forgiveness. 

The coolest hero I know raises their fist and taps knuckles against mine. "You'd be correct."

"One last thing, uh, you're seriously working with him? A-actually wait, I just apologised for my own part in this mess, I've no right to judge." Really putting foot in mouth here, Joy, starting to wish I hadn't said anything and just moved on to the next.

Cowl nods as though they had been expecting this to come up, glancing to their side at that detestable smugness, ripe for the punching. "A lot has happened since that night out on the streets, I don't need to tell you that. For what it's worth, though, he never said sorry. I'd never go so far as to consider him reformed, but it's in this criminal's interest to liberate the city in which a far more comfortable prison awaits. Not only that, I believe he's incentivised to free Murmur and ensure she pays up to the penny for that last job when the time calls." 

"Right... well, suppose I'll rip the band-aid off now and go say hi. Maybe he'll want my fucking autograph." I give my fellow small-timer a sardonic grin and they seem surprised at my crassness, not surprising with how goody Orchard had always presented herself. 

As I turn, I find myself quite reluctantly face to face with a man I had not expected to cross paths with more than once in my life, yet here we are making it a hat trick. "Curtis Cruise, or would you prefer I call you Crazy Cutter? What... what the hell is an asshole like you doing here? I mean, self preservation obviously but still... how'd you manage to weasel your way into a group like this? With the two who put you back in bars last I checked, no less."

The career criminal, who I wouldn't quite elevate to villain even if he does possess a fairly impressive power, runs fingers through his slicked back hair and gives me a shit-eating grin I could wipe in less than a second with my stare of submission. "I wouldn't be too antagonistic, Orchard, when I'm the only one keeping this beastie at bay. Can't tell if she loves you or hates you, but you certainly set her off. A bit of gratitude for ol' Curtis could come in handy down the line, y'know? I'll be a very rich man once the dust has settled... maybe you'd shape up." 

"And you'd be a shape nobody could identify." I speak coldly, vision blurring as that greyscale world of malformed hope begins to pull me back in. The knight would tear this pitiful man to shreds, I realise, but Joy's a much kinder brand of bitterness. "But thank you! Your efforts are ever so appreciated, Mr. Cruise. For the record, I think if you really attempted to hold her back she'd break you in half. Just a heads up, thought I'd... pay it forward." 

My satisfaction in the verbal riposte rings hollow as my eyes trace the beast being referred to, a hulking butch of a woman with her sights set upon me rather intensely. I'm just as drawn in, wondering what the story could possibly be here, to have her on our side. 

"Don't worry, Joy, she's been cleared of any suspicion of being Envy's spy, though her relapses are not too dissimilar to your own. Liberating this woman is the greatest success we've had entering the garden so far, Envy was foolish enough to leave her on the frontline by herself and we acted quickly, it's been almost two months since then and she's... stable." Nova's hand on my shoulder is enough to run chill down my spine, unable to discern if I loath the woman or... 

"Hey." Speaks the subject of our conversation, looking rather understandably disgruntled that she's being spoken about as though she isn't right there. "What did you say your name was? Joy?" I hear the cracking of knuckles and gulp, Nova's fingers on my shoulder doing nothing to fight off the serious worry that I may be trading blows sooner than anticipated.

"Uhm... yes. And ah... what name are you going by nowadays?" It's impossible not to focus on the fact that she remains a she, unfortunately a very attractive one at that. What we did was terribly wrong, of course, but aesthetically I'd consider her a masterwork.

"Brood. Been doing enough of it since being freed from Envy's unification crap... Uh, alternatively, I've been going by Brie for the last month or so... testing it out. My old name is pretty useless after what you did to me." The woman I once dubbed 'Broodmare', the former male hero 'Mare', gives me smouldering stare deserving of her chosen moniker. Finally allowing my eyes to settle upon her and hold my own stare without diverting, I take in quite the sight.

The brooding butch's hair is the colour of dried blood, styled in a wolf cut that matches her feral tendencies. Light freckles speck her face, only slightly made up but done enough to tell me she's embracing womanhood better than I'd expected... whatever the hell 'womanhood' is, Joy. Laura doesn't wear any and what a woman she is, after all, her striking hand still stinging my cheek and dewy lust yet coating my tongue. Mare had been a rather clean, arguably plain individual, so I'm curious at the new piercings worn by this Brie character. Several loops and studs across her ear, not to mention septum, the metal matching those rings that cover almost every finger. Even her cropped, mahogany coloured leather jacket is studded with more shiny metal to dazzle me with, plain black sports bra the only other clothing worn on her top half. Abdominals I could test Rose's healing factor against have me starting to salivate, eyes carrying themselves downwards with some reluctance to faded denim jeans that appear authentically torn instead of being bought that way. And finally, of course, I'm greeted with the sight of lace-up combat boots that I imagine pressing down on my chest as I lay breathless and broken. Wait, what?

"Oh look, everyone, she's being a slut again!"

"Like what you see?" Brood gives a snarl of a grin, pushing past Curtis Cruise without any challenge from the man supposedly 'holding her back.' I can't even contest that fictional voice in my head in this instance of incessant taunting, because I am being a slut. My mind won't stop wandering back to how this powerhouse had her way with me once before, in the garden, and how much hotter she has managed to made herself since. I'm not sure if there's a way to return her body to the way it was, but she appears to have taken to her new form frighteningly well and even picked out a name.

"Ah... y-yeah. I mean, uh, you've got a nice.... body." There's a lump in my throat and a warning signal spinning in my head that tells of danger, Brood stepping closer until those well toned abs push against my costume and have me stepping back in tandem with her advance. 

"The better to crush you with, my dear." She's a wolf, hungry and passionate, eyes depicting a conflagration of lust and spite in her heart as she remembers everything we did to her. Rather theatrically, the only one of Envy's lieutenants to date to have been liberated from unification runs tongue across teeth and reaches out to hold my head by its chin. My chin, squeezed between the digits of a predator, a hunter who would surely give Firefly a run for her damn money. "I'm gonna keep a close eye on you, Joy, so you better be good. That face of yours is really making a mess of my emotions, but you seem pretty harmless compared to the actual you." The... actual me?

"Did you forget again, silly pet? You're just my fake. Even as a fictive counterpart to Envy myself, I'd say that of the two of us you're the greater fake. You pretend to be that girl who died at the altar of crows, born again in black baptismal font of temptation. We take what we want now, Joy, while you still feel the need to ask 'how high?' Never forget we allow you to exist. You amuse us and... we amaze you. Trust is a two way street, sure, but admiration, respect... that's a cliff face. You can trust Empress Envy to catch you in your fall~"

As I fight to refocus my vision and return to the room before I'm carried off by traitorous thought yet again, I catch the knowing gaze of a girl who has gone through something similar, Brood's grip easing off even if she still holds my face. That predatory look softens into one of understanding, for a moment I think she's going to shower me in pity but instead I find her petting my hair. My teeth threaten to bust yet another lip as Brie's fingers flatten under my chin and push my jaw up, the daring digits of her other hand playfully fluffing up my reddish blonde hair. Instinctively, I straighten my back and melt into the touch, momentarily forgetting that an entire room of people is watching me with curiosity and concern. Phantom collar clasps around my neck and I resist the urge to loll out tongue and pant eagerly, wanting to be so good for the woman who treats me like the dog I am.

"So... she really did experience it, huh? Brood's looking over my shoulder to address Nova, her voice dripping with satisfaction at having reduced me to pleading puppy without so much as a word. "Envy's plan, we all knew our roles in it in the eventuality that the runt showed her face in our... in her garden again. Maybe this is hypocritical, but can we really trust someone this susceptible to entering a submissive headspace to have our backs against Envy? This one's harmless, sure, but the other personality could be a dagger at our backs and we all know it." I hate how she's talking to Nova and ignoring me, whining at the lack of attention with a sad pout that I'm so very desperate for her to look at. I'm not a puppy, what is she talking about? I'm just Joy, and I need more of these lovely headpats because I've been so very well behaved!

"Well, I can't imagine that teasing her like that is going to help very much. I'd suggest you keep your hands to yourself, or at least, save them for the enemy." Nicole clicks her tongue and like the snapping of fingers, the sound returns me to the room. Nova's click is warmer than Miss Murmur's, it feels like she's being protective of a thing like me. "Don't forget we can make you stop if we need to." Her chilling words have Brood scowling over my shoulder, fingers twisting possessively in my hair as though to challenge her. Only now do my eyes trace the bracelets around the beast's wrists which instantly remind me of those I had briefly been made to wear in Envy's court. 

"It's not my fault if she makes herself so easy." Brie barks back, tilting my head up by the chin and returning her eyes to mine, finally. "If it acts like prey, then I'll treat it as such. What was it that Rose always says?" As Brood pets my hair, I try my best to return to the room, needing Nicole's voice to tether me lest I fall even deeper to this intoxicating treatment. 

Before I can stop myself, I find my lips moving to answer her question as though it was a command. _{"Good girls get more."} My voice is but a dying whimper, leaning into her fully now and hoping that I've been good enough to get more.

"See? Prey. Unless we're bringing her along as bait she'll be a liability." After what felt like an eternity of touch, Brood's fingers stroke over my docile jaw before releasing me at last, both hands returning to her pockets to hide those shameful bracelets that keep her in check. My body lurches forwards like a flower leaning into the sunlight, stumbling for a step before regaining my footing and cursing my own lack of self control rather verbally. 

"Language, prey." Brood smirks and it makes me feel sick, turning away from her before I can find that need to play pet again rise to the surface. Lightly trembling hands rise up to fix my hair and I find myself returning to the room, eyes remaining low to avoid the gazes of all who would judge me for the pathetic showing. To my surprise, a voice comes to my defence, though not the one I had been yearning to protect me. It's not that I consider Nova my ally, or a noble protector of any sort, I've just come to crave that possessive woman and her selfish claim on my body. Is that wrong? Looking around again, I'm not entirely sure how to categorise right and wrong anymore. Just teammates and targets. Is that what being a hero is?

"Knock it off, Brie, you're... you're being awful to her! Nice first impression, dummy, we're meant to be a team." A slightly older voice rings out, though certainly younger than Mrs. Black, my eyes finally finding the will to lift up and trace its source. Soft pink curls spill over one side of the woman's head with the other shaved, goggles resting over her forehead ready to be pulled down at a moment's notice. This hero's costume is a light copper colour and has a more mechanical and intricate look to the rest of our rags, giving off the aesthetic of those steampunk cosplays Laura tried to make us wear one Halloween. Two canisters sit on her back and at first I wonder if she has a jetpack before catching the tubes that run over her arms into nozzles at her wrists. The most alarming sight my eyes latch onto is the teardrop tattoo beneath her left eye, the woman catching me staring and giggling with a hand on her hip. 

"Curious? I'm as much an inmate as that pretty boy with the foul mouth behind you, but... ahahaha, I didn't actually kill anyone or anything. Mom gave me this to protect me in there, a fresh hero rookie thrown into the slammer is like throwing a juicy streak into the kennels. I'm pretty harmless in reality. Call me Peony, it's a pleasure to meet you Joy! Shake?" It's refreshing to have someone acting friendly towards me again in this awfully stitched together team-up, even if the last part tempts me back to that headspace Brood took pleasure in having me relapse into. Having regained some confidence in my social standing here, I hold out my hand and Peony eagerly grabs it, crushing my fingers in an iron grip that has me wanting to cry uncle. "Oh yes, I've just been dying to shake your hand ever since our briefing on what went down while I was stuck behind bars. Murmur's last disciple, the one who betrayed her... hahaha, how fascinating."

"Uh... c-can you let go now please?" Remembering that my strength outclasses that of everyone else in this room, I decide to pry my hand back and shoot the woman an insecure glance, no longer feeling quite so charmed. "Murmur? What does she have to do with anything?" I'm surprised to hear the name in any of these heroes mouths save for Mr. Cruise, but he resembles a hero about as well as I do the protégé of Lady Nova.

Peony gives a disarmingly serene smile that feels at odds with the harshness of her touch. "Let me refer you to my only other tattoo, this one's much more meaningful okay? Unlike that petty man at your back, my loyalty isn't so transactional. I mean, I gave up everything for her." With a touch of dull reverence in her pretty, verdant eyes, Peony undoes the front of her suit and lifts the sweater underneath to reveal a slither of skin below her navel. My eyes widen at the sight of those revealing words, wondering if Nova couldn't have rounded up a worse collection of unreliable rogues to send into Envy's garden. She's sending addicts into a den of all their darkest desires, though I suppose our vices all differ just enough to remain at odds with one another too, brilliant!

"Property of Miss Murmur..." I read out the words permanently inked onto Peony's stomach and question just who this person is to have known Miss Murmur and found herself serving time with her own mother. 

"You get it now? We're the same, Joy, but that Envy bitch took it too far. I'd gladly walk into hell for our mistress, we exist for her, appendages of her dark will... I won't rest while she's imprisoned by that false empress." I'm holding back from explaining to this poor fanatic that Murmur's undoing was at her own hand, that she does not wish to be liberated from Envy's gift of sleep, because I'm smart enough to see that this misguided desire to set Murmur free is the only reason she's on this team in the first place. I'm not comfortable with how many of us are at risk of relapse, but I can take some comfort in knowing that we're all able to hold each other accountable on that front. 

Nova's hand flattens against my back and I find myself relaxing, glancing sideways to meet her pitying look. "Peony here was one of mine once, and I failed her. She joined the agency just as Misty began to... experiment. As Murmur, she turned this up and coming hero into her criminal accomplice and willing patsy, using her to acquire enough funds to kickstart her new life. No attempts to get through to the girl have proved successful, Murmur had her for a month and it seems to have eroded what heroism she had and left her just as much a villain as her mother. You know the one, Joy, the golden age's most infamous seductress." 

"Oh my god... you're Florasma's daughter?" I watch Peony cover herself back up and hold her flush cheek, appearing to enjoy all of this attention. 

"Mhm! Another reason I'm agreeing to join this mission, seeing as they rejected the request for probation..." Wait, she's still serving her sentence? Just like Curtis, then, we're working with actual prisoners. Wait, I'm no different am I? Nova confirmed it herself, I'm in the exact same boat as them, the moment I reintegrate with Envy I'm off to the most secure facility in the world. I don't think I could stomach the tattoos, though. "That Envy whore is using our secret recipe and passing it off as her own, passing it over to me so I could turn it into this gas I use is the one redeeming deed my villainous mother has to her name. That and looking after me on the inside, we're quite close again these days even if she doesn't seem to understand the Murmur stuff. But the concoction is my heritage..."

"And you used it to rob banks?" Nova's harsh tone is music drifting into my ear, making me want to hum along. 

"Exactly, for Miss Murmur. She... she told me you wouldn't understand, I remember everything she told me. Talked a lot about you, Miss Black." Peony holds a disdain towards Nicole she seems to have spared me from, which is honestly lucky given my part in ending Murmur as we know her. I'm not sure that this woman is operating under the soundest of logic, is this what I would have sounded like with a few more weeks under Misty's thumb?

"It's Mrs. Black, thank you kindly. Joy, I think you've been introduced to everyone now, how wonderful." The woman states dismissively, talon grip on my shoulder pulling us away from Peony's petty glare. "If you'll allow me to be candid, this is the best I could arrange for the time being. Failing this operation... there's always plan B. We don't want to go there, so I trust you'll all do your best and watch out for one another. All of you have very personal attachments to this mission and several of the targets, but just know that what you're doing is important. We must strive to save the people we care about most, hm? Even the ones who don't deserve it. In the case of Envy, should any one of you feel your heart bound to her black touch, just know... she too, needs saving from herself. Imagine the disappointment, the crushing emptiness, of her final victory. A villainess with such lofty ambition needs an opposition strong enough to entertain them, so go give her a good game. Just... if you care about anything here in this current iteration of humanity, do make sure to win." Nobody had been quite expecting a speech from Nicole, the woman looking tired from standing so long and now having to project her voice to our ragtag group. "I'll only be assuming the role of commander in this operation in an honorary sense, for the time being, but I will be linked up to your comm devices Sage has so thoughtfully provided. That and... well, I'll let you break the other requirement to them."

Sage sighs, rolling her eyes at the convenient deference from her 'commander'. Stepping away from the cabinets and circling around us until she's by the main entrance, Sage crosses her arms and wears a more serious expression than the one she had donned during introductions. "Thanks for that, Nic." She grumbles in a less than thankful tone, smirk soon returning to her face as she looks her five teammates over. "Yeah, think I'll cover that last part when we're in the air. Being 10,000 feet sky high might make a few of you less liable to react... violently. Look, most of us aren't here under the most voluntary of circumstances and I count myself lucky for being someone who is, but even I have to comply. Just don't wring the messenger's neck and cause a crash, eh?" Sage grins and I find myself nervous at talks of altitude, are we taking a helicopter into the garden? Any apprehension is quickly laughed at by the mental reminder that I can fly, but then, it wasn't myself I was worried about. 

"Let's get this shit over with already, ladies, don't wanna waste anymore time flirting for fuck's sake. Even if you put on such a lovely show for me, Joy." It takes a lot to ignore the provocations of my first real antagonist, my shoulder 'accidentally' pushing past Curtis Cruise as I rush to the door with some haste in my step. Sage steps outside and leaves the door open, snipers likely still waiting out there just in case. As I head for that entrance myself, a voice calls out in husky tone, just for me. 

"Joy." Nicole felt the need to stop me, so I turn and look over my shoulder with a slightly sheepish grin. I can tell myself I hate her, and part of me does, but I can't pretend my heart isn't pounding in my chest threatening to escape. I wouldn't blame it for the attempt. 

"Mm?" I take in the sight of her, almost two decades my senior with a relaxed smile I've ruined the symmetry of. If the Joy Williams of only a year ago, less, could see this sight. 

"Good luck on your mission. I'll be in your ear the whole time." The woman winks and my face burns brightly, knowing she speaks of comms but only able to imagine that sultry, commanding tongue pushing deep and-- 

"C'mon, prey. She's had her time in the sun." Brood whisks me away with a strong arm hooked around my waist, Peony quickly berating the butch for her overly familiar touch. Rough handling isn't something that fazes me as much as the petting of my hair, but I decide to keep quiet and leave them to it. 

The six of us spill out into this unassuming, sunny day, and Sage leads the way to the aircraft they came here on. How fancy, I'm part of a real life superhero team! Even if it is comprised of some of the most dubious characters you could find... how does the saying go? Beggars can't be choosers. How crass. I hate that a part of me is excited about this turn of events despite each and every warning sign and the ensuing whiplash they came in with. 

If I'd known then, the day we were all in for, I think I'd have wiped that plastic smile from my face and taken it all more seriously. 

Nobody knows, or perhaps they choose to look away, how squarely fucked we all are.

We may be bound for paradise... but sinners like us are all going to hell.

Epilogue: A Leather Cape (To Save the World)

"Ma'am. We have eyes on the crow, they've just taken off now. Your transport is waiting outside, Sod's getting antsy again so I suggest you get back here quickly before she tries to go ahead and scrap this operation for the third time this month." 

Nicole scoffs, finishing her glass of water and twirling her cane idly as she listens to the exasperated voice in her ear. "Fourth, actually. It won't take, but be a good deputy and smooth things over while I make my way there." The cane is dropped onto the kitchen floor as Nova turns on her heels and walks the halls to find an unused bedroom with equipment scattered over the bed, fresh uniform hanging in the wardrobe wrapped in protective plastic. 

"Hm... fine, can't exactly disobey a direct order but you owe me, stalling the Secretary of Defence is way above my pay grade and you know it. How'd things go at the house anyway? I see you called in the backup and kickstarted stage two. She had the vision? A little honesty, Commander Black, how fucked are they?"

Nicole laughs, setting down her phone on speaker mode and throwing leather cape over her shoulders that hangs down to her midriff, a change of costume for a new sort of hero. "Squarely. All within acceptable parameters of course, I'm not a monster. It's going well, Shephard, so I need you to remind our restless government of that fact. While they sit on their hands and do nothing, we're here saving the world for them. She's had one vision, it's bound to happen again. Worry not, Sage has a lot of experience reining in the unpredictables. Plan B is right around the corner, though I'm sure she'll hate me for it... at first."

"Hah, since when did that bother you?" Speaks the voice in her phone, Nicole clicking her tongue before running it over that sore on her lip. 

"Even a miserable wretch like me has a heart, Shephard. I am enfant terrible in this theatre of mine own making. I am divorced of love and loss and lionization. I am--"

"Okay, okay, enough of the creepy theatre kid shit just get over here before I'm placed under arrest for obstructing chain of command or the only thing you'll be is back at square one. Please tell me you didn't put the fascist cape on, Nic..."

Nicole Black gives a twirl in the mirror, admiring the dark bruises on her neck a whole lot more than she looks forward to explaining them at the base. "I look damn good, not another word from you. Like everything in this theatre we run, Shephard, this outfit is just another costume. When I sought to inspire hope I wore the gold and wore it well. This late hour calls for black. Now, I'll be there shortly so quit complaining and do as you're told."

"You're not even on the helicopter yet are you?" Speaks a resigned voice from the phone, smooth leather grip lifting the mobile as a transformed Commander Black signs off with her own smug remark. Slowly, but surely, those shiny black boots she wears lift into the air. 

"Who said I was taking the helicopter?"