the dead are coming home; tarnished

[Tarnished]

We were young and wild and free,

fightin' in a love we couldn't leave.

It isn’t often that someone seeks me out personally, my encounters are often—always—by chance; I made the choice long ago to make myself scarce, to hide, to listen, to collect as much information as I could and to store it away until it became useful. My actions were almost always clandestine. I briefly wonder where he learned of me, but then I decide I don’t care much to know; Vanquish was important not so long ago, before he went and got himself killed, and I chalk it up to being the son of a dead king.

An old, forgettable heir, if you will—well, maybe not forgettable enough.

This stallion did send a messenger to fetch me.

And he’s right.

I’m bored, I’m always fucking bored lately.

I twist and bend myself until I break, I take on shape after shape until I’ve been through them all; I’ve killed, I’ll kill again sooner or later. I’ve been the hunter and the hunted and still I’m bored. Isolation can only be so fun for so long before you start to miss everyone else and I’ve been cut off from everyone for so long that, well, a little chaos sounds fun right about now; maybe that’s what I need. Chaos. Something to take my mind off Dominion, something to keep me from thinking about her late at night—something to keep me awake so I don’t dream about Mother and Else and everything that had gone wrong in between.

“A tempting offer, I must admit, but I feel like introductions are in order before we enter into any 'partnerships.'” I shrug, roll my shoulders again; there’s a kink in my back and there’s been one for weeks and I hope like hell it works itself out soon. But anyways. “I suppose you’re already aware, all things considered, but my name is Tarnished—Nish, for short, if you prefer.” I grin, because it’s been a while since I’ve given someone the chance to call me that. Generally, I reserve the nickname for close family and friends. But if we’re going to be ‘partners,’ I decide we’re going to have to be the very best of friends, too. Or everything will go sour and I’ll end up having to eat him.

I don’t like the taste of other horses much.

But details.

“And you are?”

tarnished

vanquish x nocturnal

Even on the way down, even on the way down.