Carole had no clue how she got back to her room after that night.

She found herself the next day, clutching her nose as more of that clear viscous fluid dribbled out.

How long… How long was she like this?

Was last night even real?

Did she even leave her room at all?

Did she only fall out of bed?

To make matters even worse was that rotting feeling in her chest had transformed itself into an intolerable burning. It was almost like something was right now decomposing, distracting her.

from the chronic pain of her leg and back as she could only pant from the horrible sensation on the floor of her bedroom.

When she was feeling some sense scarce of relief. As that horrible feeling in her chest gradually faded and her sense of surroundings steadily returned, she lifted her head and saw Hide, leaning against her door with that cocky smile on his face.

“I guess that spooky night made you forget to lock your door hmm,” he coated his voice with very false innocence.

Although no longer reeling from whatever… that was, her head turned from Hide’s sudden appearance.

“You...., how did you even get in here. That’s… creepy,” was not the best thing she could have said.

Hide dismissively rolled his eyes at her as if he did nothing wrong.

"Don't get the wrong impression. This isn't some hobby of mine, sneaking into ladies' bedrooms for kicks. I have better things to do with my time."

Carole sat back up rubbing her throbbing head in annoyance about to say some choice words to the goat beast-kin. Until he confirmed what she feared.

“Carly, who do you think bothered to drag you back up here after you keep passing out? Fairies? Wow and I thought Loul-... Louie was delusional,” He said as he shoved both hands into his pockets.

So it was real...

“Wait... You brought me back here,” Carole’s bright purple eyes peered straight into the man. Attempting to see any hint for his motivations.

Was it because she just saw something she shouldn’t?

If it wasn't a dream, did he give her a chance to escape?

Maybe it is not all malicious. But why-

Hildmire then dropped his next bombshell. Something that made her heart jump in her chest.

“A lot of knives in your drawers... big ones... small one... a whole bunch. I’m more a gun kinda guy. Knives are too messy for my taste,” He bent down at the waist and gave her that smile, “But I’m smart enough to know those are hunting knives, not some kitchen shit…. Why would a cripple little angel teacher girl like you need all that? Especially when little old me saw you snooping around.”

Carole was never good with expressions, they had always been a hard concept to grasp. However, the one she wore as Hide spoke went from nervous to cold and unreadable….

“...what...do...you...want?...”

Hide brought himself back up and pulled down his shirt around the neck area, revealing that metallic collar pointing to it.

“I had other plans to get this thing off but looks like I got sent a literal angel to help me,” He chirruped.

He then pulled out a little pistol, making the weapon click, “For my safety, and to add a little extra persuasion”

“... get to the point, Hildmire…”

The corners of his lips twitched downwards after he heard his name, and in a lot less playful tone, “I need you to convince that Cherly asshole to let you into his bitch of an Aunt’s quarters. Just say you are looking for some info on Holger’s and he would let you in.”

A threat, huh?

Might as well go along with this creep.

“And then…” She said with even less emotion than usual.

“I have... 'acquired' the key to a little desk drawer. In it would be an access card to my ticket out of this thing.”

All the while he spoke Carole could only coldly glare at him, although she would have told herself she did not care about his motivations. With her eyes piercing into him, she finally asked,

“Why did you even search my room?..”

Hide stared at her for a bit, before loosely twirling the gun in his hand as if it was a toy and said, “How about we make this fun, Q and A. We can get a little info on each other, making this whole thing a more nice business kind of thing. Thou if we suspect each other of lying..”

He stopped twirling his gun and gave an innocent smile in contrast to his next words, “You lie I shoot, I lie my gun would be… out of my reach and I guess I get stabbed to death. Sounds easy?”

“...”

“Excellent, you go first Caaaarly,”

“... What were you doing down there?” might as well get that answer as quickly as possible

Hide did not look her in the eye as he spoke, “At that moment I wanted to give that disgusting thing an excellent distraction as I stole some stuff from her, mostly keys, access cards, things to get me out of this mess. But…” His eyes grew oddly serious and somewhat sad, "Did you think they would allow something like me near their equipment…”

He lifted his head, almost forcing himself back to his childish demeanour, and said, “My turn, my question is what’s with all the knives, Carly? Avid knife collector or my guess being a serial killer.”

He did not seem like he was lying about his last statement, but she did not enjoy giving away too much thus she replied, “I just like them...”

“Seriously, You’re holding a Huge bag of suspect pinning evidence on yourself... just because?,” Hide broke out into a loud, cackling laugh. He was disgustingly annoying.

“Why don’t you get someone else to help you... Police... or anyone else..” she wanting to get through this conversation as quickly as possible.

He sneered, disgusted by the question itself.

“Are you that fucking naïve? I’m a no named goat beast-kin they drugged and dragged off the streets. Who the hell would give a damn? And the police,” His grim tone changed back to his cackling laugh, “Carly, yes those bastards totally give a damn about something like me, they are definitely not in this family's back pocket. I only picked you, mostly on a whim, and I got blackmail, so maa.”

He stuck out his tongue at her and she wondered whether it was worth mentioning, in his blind frustration he bleated out like a small goat at her.

Was… was that supposed to be threatening? Or even intentional?

“Now my last question before you ask your grand finale,” He extravagantly waved his arms, "For an angel, I thought you were bullshitting me when you said you had no powers or anything like that. But I'm thinking you're not even one. Anyway. I was like not a follower of Ver. I’m more a Fer worshipper, but even I know what an angel is to be like. You don't even have simple healing , wow that sucks.”

Carole grit her teeth to avoid saying anything else to him as he continued

“And no wings or anything, My next question is more for reassurance. Just to make sure you are not lying about this angel status and you’re not some quirky girl wearing fancy contacts. Soooo, are you one?”

There was a pause.

The silence between them could have lasted years, if not decades, for all the two of them could know. However, Carole’s thoughts went into overdrive.

One part was yelling many cusses at Hildmire, the other was her reluctance and insecurities.

Was... was she one?

Her wings are a mangled mess. Her eyes were of bright purple, but she had not a single miracle to give. In fact, to her moms, she had been nothing but a financial burden, no matter how hard they tried to tell her she was not.

Angel children raised among humans are to give their first family good luck. They are to provide great things, but so far her entire life up to this point has been nothing but a mess for herself and everyone she had ever interacted with.

She had nothing to give.

She could provide nothing

And the only one she had ever felt secure around was a….it...it does not matter, even she wants nothing to do with her anymore.

Why was Carole even thinking of them anymore?

What a mess…

Carole then realized her face had been in the palms of her hands this entire time, whilst Hide stared at her with a curious look on his face.

She does not have the time for a stupid break down, so she turned her face now back to its usual stoicism and she answered the man.

“Yes, that is what I am... I have wings on my back, but something damaged them when I was young and would never heal.”

Hide’s eyes observed her as if she was a puzzle he was trying to figure out until he shrugged his shoulders. His weapon was now loose in his hands as it lazily pointed at her.

“Well, that sucks.”

Carole refused to dignify him with a response.

“Now time for your question Ca-”

“If you’re so smart, how could you have gotten yourself in this mess?”

And that shut Hide right up. It was a satisfying feeling for Carole, glad to have been able to do it. He once again was not looking at her and more at the ceiling and replied, “I was stupid... thought a place would hire me for what I like to do...turned out I just got drugged and abducted to clean up their creepy meat room and suck them off...you happy?”

Of course not.

She did… pity him. No one deserves that horrible thing to happen to them.

No one to turn to, not even the authorities they have taught you to trust. All because of what you are. It was not fair of course. She was so close herself to being in such a position…

“Ecstatic,” she still breathed out.

Was not an excuse, however. She was personally not not going to let that slide.

Hide put down his gun away from her face, “So we both got to know each other a little more, perfect for a healthy working relationship. Oh, and one more thing,”, his lips made a devilish smile as if he still wanted the upper hand, “The gun was empty.”

What….

He opens the cartridge up to showcase this before his giggles developed into a laugh. “Oh my god, you should have seen the look on your face right now, HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Carole stared at him as he doubled over, laughing, as she got to her knees from the floor.

“Seriously, for a teacher, you are pretty damn gullible. How the hell am I able to walk around with a fully loaded gun off duty? Oh my god, you were so damn-”

That voice got cut off by the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

Hide found himself on the ground clutching his swallow face in pure shock as Carole got on top of him, gripping around his collar. Her messy mop of hair now hid most of her face.

“That... wasn’t... funny...At all...You have..no idea...what I had...been through..to get here.”

Hide with no inflexion his voice said, “you're one to talk... You probably had a relatively privileged life to even be alive right now.” His tone no longer held it's usual playfulness, “you say your life was hard, what about my dumpster fire of life?" His eyes did not had that sparkle as it, he just had to say, "It was probably not that ba-”

Strangely enough, he did not finish that sentence, instead, his expression of dull unenthusiasm, changed to one of surprise as he kick and struggled under her. Then it swiftly to a... particular one, with his face getting more and more flushed and that grin upon his face grew wider. Finally solidifying what she suspects was happening.

“Squeeze ..gasp... even harder...ha... while ...you’re at ...it,” he said breathlessly.

Carole looked down at her hands, only to realize she was at this point strangling him. She immediately got off him and let go, causing him to let out his breathless gasps for air as that previous expression turned to one of disappointment.

Hide while on his knees let out a cough as he rubbed his neck around that metallic collar.

“You know...it would solve both or... ha... problems...if you continued...I rather die than become one...of those...little things..” he let out another cough.

Carole dragged herself to her cane and held it like it was her lifeline, “I don’t want…. to be a murderer, Hide... period.” She tried not to think about what… another effect it had… for both their sakes.

“Kinda boring…”

Carole then thought back about what he just said...to become one of…

“Wait... what did you say?” she asked

Hide was already getting up from the ground still rubbing his neck, “huh? Short-term memory or something? I said you were boring.”

Carole groaned with annoyance, “No... I mean before that..”

“You mean about becoming one of those pale creepy things running around?”

Carole nodded, “Yes, those things..”

Hide rolled his eyes, “I don’t know, don't care. those things were people at some point”

Carole felt a chill down her spine. Those things were... people... So many people go missing in the city every day. It’s mostly considered as murders, but to think some of them can get turned into those things…

“Why,” that was the only thing that could slip out of her lips.

“Why the fuck I’m supposed to know... my job is to do whatever these freaks here say, mostly being their damn footstool. I do that until they eventually get tired and fuck me up,” his hand moved to the collar around his neck as he let out a sorrowful chuckle, “I’ve been trying to escape for as long as I have been here. Must have put my head on their chopping block during that time. A collar to alert and shock whenever I attempt to escape... And they think I’m so stupid, just a stupid dumb animal. Who would never figure out what they plan to do... it’s almost funny”

Carole got the cane to force herself to her feet, “How many here know about this?..”

“Probably a lot, though from what I can see all the kids are in the dark about what even goes on here. So, Loui and Cherry-boy are just as ignorant as any rando. At least that’s from what I’ve gathered.”

Hide then staggered to his feet, turning around back to his usual cheerful tone and smile.

“Well then Caaaarly, so here’s the deal you help me, escape this dump and I keep my mouth shut about you’re little snooping. You get to continue your life and I get to die alone in a gutter somewhere,” he stood up straight as if he had not gotten almost strangled to death a few minuets ago.

He then pressed a finger to his lips, "also keep your mouth shut about our exchange."

“...”

He then turned around to the exit of her room, “I hope you consider our deal carefully Carly.”

With that, he left the room without another word, leaving Carole alone with her thoughts and the new pieces of information.