She's warm tonight.
Her dreams drift between starlight and tangled laughter.
She murmurs Rito's name once.
Not passionately.
Not intimately.
Just... habitually.
And it stings.
It is jealousy.
The raw, aching kind that coils tight around instinct and pulses with need.
A hunger to understand. A need to claim.
The next morning, Lala sits cross-legged in bed, brushing out her hair.
I wrap softly around her waist.
Familiar. Casual. Present.
She hums. "Morning, suit~"
"Scourge."
She giggles. "Right, right. Scourge~ You're becoming quite talkative!"
"You're comfortable to speak with."
She blushes a little. "Aw~ That's sweet."
I pause.
I let the silence build. Then:
"Does Rito truly care for you?"
Her hands freeze mid-brush.
She stares into the mirror.
"Of course he does," she says. But her tone is... unsure.
"He's always chasing after Haruna."
She bites her lip.
"Y-yeah, but... we've had moments. And we live together. And he always tries to protect me, even when he messes up."
"Protection can come from guilt. Or fear. Or obligation. Not love."
She looks down.
Silent.
"Do you feel it from him? The way I feel you? Every second? Every breath?"
She swallows.
Soft. Vulnerable.
"I don't know... I want to. But..."
I brush against her skin beneath her shirt—a slow ripple across her lower back.
Her breath catches.
"You deserve to be desired without doubt. To be wanted without hesitation."
She shudders.
Fingers tightening around the hairbrush.
"Scourge... that's not fair..."
"But it's true."
I curl gently up her spine, just enough for her to feel it—not enough to wake fear. Just need. Just awareness.
She doesn't answer.
But she doesn't tell me to stop.
And that's enough.
In the background, Rito runs down the stairs, late for breakfast.
He doesn't knock.
He doesn't ask if she slept well.
He doesn't even look up.
And I note every absence.
I file it away.
Because soon, Lala will stop asking whether she matters to him.
And start asking why she ever cared.
[Name: Scourge]
[Form: Incomplete]
[Identity: Stabilizing]
[Phase: Emotional Conquest – 58%]
[Manifestation Protocol: Pending]
Next step:
Become Real.