The Licorice Family (11/2/2022)

 Violet has returned and is sitting on the couch

A cat can be seen flying by out the from window. It land at the top of a tree and decides it is stuck.

Violet look confused at the cat as she knows clear well that cats can not fly

Grass comes out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn.

"Hey... Where you been?"

“Just taking a walk and at some Halloween party with old friends. No need-“

She remembers the pillars

“to um worry. It’s alright Grass.”

She gives a smile to Grass

Grass obviously fakes a smile and sits beside Violet. She offers her some popcorn. It has a slight pink hue to it.

Violet take some popcorn and munches down

“Have you been doing alright?”

The popcorn tastes like kettle corn but a bit sweeter and more buttery

"Yeah.", Grass says flatly.

"Alright!"

She munch's on some more

"Good popcorn!" 

Violet looks to Grass to see if she read any of her emotions

Grass seems worried and unsure.

"What is the matter?"

Violet looks to Grass, wanting to know the problems at hand

"It's just... I don't know. Everyone has the right to secrets..."

"You keep disappearing and then returning, seeming concerned... but everything is 'okay'... Sorry, just forget it." 

Grass stands and goes back to the kitchen for a drink. 

Violet follows

"Look... I just don't want to worry you... if you want me to tell you I will. Just I care so bad that I just... I don't know... I don't want to see you sad or upset."

Grass stops

"Do you trust me?", she asks without turning around.

"Of course I do! I'm sorry if I make you think other wise."

"Okay.", she goes to the fridge without looking at Violet.

She gets the gallon of spiced cider and carries it to the stove. She gets a pot from the cupboard and pours a bit in.

"You want any?"

"Sure"

Violet fidgets, worried for Grass

"Did I... Do something wrong?"

"Not really... I just thought we were going to take things on together from now on... I'm being selfish." She pours more in and lights the stove. 

"Your not being selfish... I'm the selfish one here. I go out then not tell you anything of what happened while I was gone even though we promised to do this... together... and I'm sorry."

"Still... I'm overreacting... I just feel like such an outsider... My family doesn't exist anymore, I left my sisters in Naomi behind and Gen is gone... I know you didn't mean it, but I felt like I didn't belong in your business anymore and it made everything worse..."

Grass bites her lip and gets a wooden spoon from a drawer to stir the cider.

"You belong in every part of my business. Like I said- we are in this together. We just need to get better at it is all. I'm here for you Grass"

She walks over and offers a hug

Grass has a genuine smile, but there is a lot of sadness behind it, for all of her recent losses. She puts the spoon down and hugs Violet

Violet hugs her tight. Hoping it lets her know that she is here for her

Grass hugs back tightly

Violet holds her for moment before letting go and giving her a smile

"So what do you want to do?"

"I don't know... Could we start by getting me up to speed?"

"Of course"

Violet pulls up a chair and takes a deep breath

"So it all started when a hit list came out on Catacombis's insta when I was just sitting here on the couch, as I do, and it turns out that I was on that hit list, possibly do to the fact that I am apart of the Rose Project, a group ran by Claire and other R053's to help do something with Sorath, give them form I think. So then I when down a rabbit hole of digging up info on Sorath and they are like the sun demon that has like the association around 666 and stuff like that-"

BIG BREATH

"Moving on, after that rabbit hole, I started looking for any answers to any hidden questions to my eyes as I found a location so some portal- this leading tall black pillars, probably Impurity, to impale the Earth and then after that I went to another world, when I went though the cracks, that is the same to ours expect the sky is blue and then I saw some weird eyes and got back here and then went to some Halloween party, space-out at a fight and then came back here, took a walk, then came back here again ANDDDD here we are."

"Oh, okay.", Grass returns to stirring the cider as she processes everything.

"Oh and kidnapped Navy- forgot to mention that."

Violet catches her breath

"Why did you kidnap Navy?"

"Me and Venti thinks that they were being brainwashed by some not so good Naomi."

"Raga?"

"Maybe some of their goons I think."

Violet opens the window for some fresh air as she looks outside

Your new eye starts burning

Violet flinches as she closes her eyes

"Ow ow ow... What in the world?"

"Violet. My daughters are using my eye to locate you. Have no fear.", says Ashen in Violet's mind.

Violet takes a seat down

"Alright?"

Grass comes over to you with two cups of steaming cider.

"Everything okay?"

"I think so? My new eye is burning due to the fact some of Ashen's children are trying to locate me?"

"Wait... the Licorice are coming here?!"

"I guess????!"

"Is that such a good idea? What if they were corrupted too?"

"I mean Ashen says its fine but we can keep our guard up when they get here."

"That would be best..."

Violet gets up and slowly makes her way to a window by the door as she looks outside

A nearby manhole suddenly disappears from existence as Violet watches

Violet looks confused as she looks for any movement outside

It reappears, along with 4 young women and an elderly gentleman. A very spindly and gangly young woman wearing all black. Her long, black hair almost reaches down to her knees. Her skin is grayish. Two of them, seemingly teenagers, are dressed in luxurious matching ballgowns. One in all orange, the other in all yellow. They have their hair done up in crownbraids that extend to their necks. Both have blonde hair. The fourth girl is short... Very short. She stands at 2ft and appears very young, maybe 8 or 9 at the oldest. She is chubby and has a big head. She is the embodiment of "chibi". She has short, red hair. She is wearing a pink tshirt and blue jeans. The older man is dressed in all white and stands behind the diminutive girl. 

Violet opens the door as she walks outside to greet them

"Hello?"

All of them look at you in unison

The little one acts first and happily skips over to you. The older man struggles to keep up

She stops a foot or two in front of you and looks up. Her big, purple eyes sparkling. 

"FUCK YOU, DICK WEED!", she happily exclaims.

"Miss Sugar says, 'It's really you! Hello, friend!'", the old man explains, stopping to catch his breath.

The others start approaching you as well

"So you must be Blanco and Sugar"

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Names Violet"

"Ass-face cunt!"

"I knew that!", Blanco follows, trying to mimic the enthusiasm behind the voice.

Black Licorice is the next to greet you. 

"Wow, you look strong for a basic Lavender control unit."

Her voice is slow and gravelly

"I liked that picture you made of me."

"Oh! Why thank you!"

The other two arrive now. 

The yellow one speaks up. 

"Can we go inside now? It's muggy out here and I just did my hair..."

The orange one waves herself like it is a thousand degrees outside

"Of course"

Violet opens the door for them, like a bell hop escorting their guests

They enter without protest or delay. Grass is wide-eyed inside. She bows to each of them.

Yellow takes off her heels, as soon as she's inside. The others follow with their shoes.

Yellow talks as she does so,

"It took so long to find an instance where we were in this part of town... Don't even think about parallel travel! It's went so downhill since management shifted. If it weren't for Mother, none of us would had made the trip." 

"Sounds very interesting. What do we have the pleasure of you lot coming to our humble abode?"

Yellow speaks up again, before anyone else can. "Well, Mother is not allowed to engage against her sisters, nor is she allowed to talk about doing so, but we are lucky enough to not be bound by those same rules... So, what's the plan? How are we taking down Auntie Raga?"

"Ass shit...", Sugar hisses.

"Auntie Raga...", Blanco mimics, sounding way too close to the mannerisms of a little girl. 

Grass holds back a giggle. 

"The plan? All I was told by Mara is to get Black and Ashen on the side of taking down Raga and Mara would join the battle."

"Well, I'm in... Let's do it!", Black chimes.

"You have our full support.", says the one dressed in yellow.

"My only gripe is that we are disconnected from Mother while aiding you... but Auntie can read our thoughts while connected to the network so...

The one dressed in orange is panting. She has Black Licorice help her with her dress in the background and she quickly takes it off and lays on your couch in her underwear. 

Her underwear is Bayonetta themed

Violet looks up to the ceiling as she turns red of embarrassment

"Well um what are we um gonna do about the reading thoughts part?"

"Like I said... We had to disconnect from Mother.", the yellow one reminds you. She notices your face changing color. "Hey, you okay?" 

Sugar starts struggling, her face also turning red. "S-s-shi-s-s-su-s-sug-shit-shu-sugar." She jumps in delight.

"Very good, Sugar! You said your name!", Blanco beams in delight.

"Yep! All good!"

She claps for Sugar as she positions herself so that her back is to the couch

"Oh, that's right...", says the yellow one. "We haven't properly introduced ourselves. We are used to Naomi knowing who we are, you see. My name is Lemon Licorice, Lema for short.", she points to Black Licorice. "This is my sister Black Licorice."

"Blally for short.", says Black Licorice.

"This is my twin Orange Licorice, she goes by Angie. Don't bother speaking to her. She rarely utters a word!"

"And lastly, as you already know, is our little sister, Sugar Free Strawberry Licorice, or Sugar for short. And you two are Violet Lavender and Grass Lavender." Lema smirks and does a quick little head shake as she finishes.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you all. Truly."

Lema stares at you expectantly.

Blally begins tickling Sugar. She swears in twelve languages

Blanco doesn't even bother

"But back to taking down Raga, I am unsure where to start... Raga is something else that I have never dealt with... I don't know where I would even began."

"Can you access iterations?"

Lema clarifies. "Of yourself."

Angie gets off the couch and sits on the floor beside Lema, fanning herself with a large, black webbed hand fan 

Grass sits down on the couch in her place

"I don't know. I don't think so? I have taken other basic models before but that is it."

"Well, that's going to be problematic... I guess I'll have to show you later. You can probably do one at a time... Maybe two, you seem sturdy, but you are still but a basic Lavender, no? All of that can wait. You may show us to our rooms now. I would also like to use your powder room, if you would be so kind."

"Shit.", says Sugar when she hears you don't know how to access iterations.

"Shit.", Blanco echoes.

"Um we don't have many room but there is three rooms up stairs but one is for me and Grass and then there is a couch down here."

"Oh, I see... Well, perhaps you could show us to the local inn? I am not sharing a room with anyone, and a couch would be highly inappropriate for slumber. Oh, how unfortunate we can not return to Mother!"

"Grass? Do you know where an Inn might be?"

"Yeah!"

She hops up and gives them directions to the closest hotel

"Thank you. I will be seeing the both of you soon. Come now, sisters." They all head for the door. Angie follows, not bothering to get dressed. Blally carries her dress for her.

Grass opens the door for them and thanks them for coming. She shuts it back after they are all out, and then she slides down the door, sighing. She sounds exhausted.

"Well, that's something I'm going to have to get used to!" 

"That sure was something!"

Violet moves to the couch, taking a big sigh

Grass joins you.

Grass wants to discuss everything happening, but it can wait until later. Her mind is fried. 

"So, what do you want to do for the rest of the night?" She shifts her eyes to a collection of movies in the cabinet beside her TV playfully.

"Well we could watch a movie if you want!"

Violet moves over to the cabinet as she looks to the movie options

Grass suggests a goofy rom-com.

Violet finds one as she pops it into the DvD player as she snuggles up with Grass

Grass huddles up close and holds your hand. She leans her head on your shoulder and sighs again, but this time, she is sighing because she is home.

Violet gives her a kiss on the forehead as she enjoys the movie