***

The inside was somehow just as pristine as the ballroom of the Titanic. Every surface of the ballroom seemed to be glistening marble, a massive fine rug that covered the floor of the chamber, itself an impressive tapestry of colonial inspiration. Chimes hung from the ceiling, swaying and reflecting the lights in the room, all cresting around this massive pillar in the middle of the room. Itself surrounded crested by a spiral staircase that leads to another floor.

“And this is the Town Hall…?” Calypso wondered in awe, to herself.

“Oh right—I have to keep reminding myself that you just came here…”

Calypso hoped she was low enough—she usually was. But this cheerleader was too keen for her own good. Hanna continued to walk them forward, the blonde girl holding Calypso’s hand.

“Yeah, I guess you only saw the old and clamy ass ‘Mayor’ chambers—nah, this is basically our pride and joy here… All the fancy people get together and spill beans in these parties, basically all the major decisions were made here versus, y’know, the actual room where they have to be debated on and announced.”

“Right…” Calypso tried to hide the annoyance that this girl used “basically” three times and “here”, almost five, it felt like.

Hanna pointed at the pillar itself. “See—that pillar right there? It’s… Aw fuck, what was it—It’s a remnant of the old version of the Town Hall. We don’t really know how the Founders did it considering they thought girls dying of bacteria infection were witches, but that pillar both holds up the entire building yet swaaaays~”

Calypso blinked—genuinely. She was going to commit to the bit, but now was intensely curious. “Really--?”

“Oh, you like that huh-?” Hanna chuckled as she looked back at Calypso, as they walked towards it. Now closer to it, the skeletal monster girl could see it sway subtly. The texture of it being coated in the lights, creating this visual of gossamer. “You legit came to life, holy shit that was great to watch!”

Calypso laughed softly. At least that reaction recentered her, making her remember that she loathes this person.

“But yeah… It’s some weird engineering feat or something. As it sways, you can hear like… Soft bell sounds pinging around. So when you have a bunch of mouth-breathers on the upper floors like we do today, not only does it provide nice background elevator music—but look at that thing go. You can barely see it move normally, but it’s going crazy today.”

“Wow…” Calypso kicked herself verbally, for being so detached for months. Not getting a chance to truly explore this place in general. “If I may be so bold… It’s interesting how you know all of this. I don’t wish to assume but… I imagine you’ve been in said parties?”

“Oh, it ain’t assuming girl—I contemplated blowing my brains out multiple times in this bitch—” Hanna laughed. “Went to this place more than regular kids went to Chuck E. Cheese’s…”

“A-ah…”

Hanna let go of Calypso’s hand, folding her arms as she glanced about with a lackadaisical expression. “ ‘Suppose that’s what I get, being born in a Founding Family here… I know, I know, ‘wah im rich, pity me please, life is rough’—"

“Wow…” Calypso stepped forward toward the girl, noting their height difference as she slightly looked up at her. “Maybe you’ve said when we met, but I never got your last name...”

“Has anyone told you that your voice is so fucking cute?” Hanna turned to Calypso, smile somehow so wide. “I wanna fall asleep to it, oh my god—”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

In that moment, Calypso wanted it to be the last thing this bitch ever hears as she leaves this plane of existence.

Hanna then coughed, reeling back a tad, “Well, uh, to answer your question… Hanna Robinson. Of the Robinson-whatevers, I refuse to say family, dynasty or clan like some 17th century dame.”

Calypso’s brow furrowed a tad. Something immediately got stuck in her thought process.

“Robinson…? I thin… I think I’ve heard or know a Robinson already…”

Hanna just sighed. Causing Calypso’s a good deal of suppressed shock.

A worker passed by them, serving people trays of light drinks, and Hanna snatched one as they scrolled by. She put said drink up near her lips, as if…

As if it were a microphone.

“…Oh, I am so sorry—” Calypso genuinely felt and sounded sorry.

Hanna shrugged, downing her drink in seconds, maybe as a reprieve. “Hey. Cindy gets to have her echo chamber and is constantly away from the house while Mitchell exists to only affirm her stupid beliefs, so I don’t have to deal with it too much. Now you get why I hate these things, huh?”

Calypso simply nodded. It felt weird that the worst person is now the only shining beacon in a collection of mistakes.

“That’s the dream, man…” Hanna looked a tad forlorn, staring upward, not looking at anything in particular. “Work my way through college and ace it, find a job comparable to that without losing my soul, sign some papers here and there—and I’d be loooong gone, man. With a plus one and all, but still…”

“And here I thought it was simple go-getting…” Calypso attempted humor.

Hanna laughed out, “Oh no, I got a massive fucking ego—I’m an overachiever too~ It’s just that. Yeah.”

“Pressure on top of that, mhm…” Calypso was surprised to be having a sincere conversation with this self-admitted egotist. “Well. As someone that also has heavy on top of her heavy, my condolences…”

“I super appreciate that, Cal… So I’m guessing you have the same urges to run wild, then~?”

Before Calypso knew it, Hanna was face-to-face with her. Lowered eyelids, her smugness brimming from the surface yet so soft.

Calypso was ready for the Subsumed face to tear open. A stray claw to slice open her stomach. But she continued to play dumb.

“A-ah…?”

Hanna got closer, “Y’know… To relieve that stress. Mutual people that’s looking for that, the better, right…~?”

"Relieve, huh...?"

Hanna huffed. "So cooooy..."

Calypso was ready for the lunge.

"It's alright to kiss you, then...~?"

Calypso was completely disarmed.

Her eyes got wide, realizing how close their lips were now. How Hanna was blushing a tad, leaned forward with her arms behind her back. She knew that her own face in turn was alight with red, as she trembled a tad due to the shivers she developed.

“I—I—Well, u-I—u-u-um—”

“Hey, hey…” Hanna’s tone was way too low. Sweet. Comforting. “It’s cool… It’s fine if you never kissed anyone before. Also... 'Y’know', before… Absolutely no judgement, here. I’ll be more than happy to guide ya’, juuuust like tonight so far~”

“I-I-I-I ju-just…” Calypso stuttered, trying to hold her smile. “N-never realized you were into—that’s fine, by the way, no judgement, haha as you say but returned a different context—just that I never encountered someone so urm, b-brazen with it—”

“That’s meeeee~” Hanna’s smirk just grew wider, more seductive. “Well, y’know, I keep it on the down low, but it’s basically an open secret… Go both ways and all, but I just can’t help it… Girls like you make me wanna commit full force sometimes...”

The clues surged within Calypso’s fervent mind. The “cute” remarks, how close she often got to the skeletal monster girl, the utter interest despite being in different ‘levels’ of society… This was so much for Calypso to manage all at once.

And the damning thing is… She was willing, to take up the cheerleader’s offer. She wanted to blame Alice, and her other side wanting anything to tear out of her skin. But mostly Alice.

Calypso could feel her soft pants escape her body, and felt Hanna’s panting against her lips in turn. She just stared up at the girl, despite her gaze wavering.

“’Cuuuuse me, girls~”

Calypso looked to the side, to see a wait staff… A very familiar one.

Brown messy hair… A head scarf.

The nurse from the hospital—the Tongues Subsumed, had a self-assured smirk to her face. “How do you lo—lik--find our services, so far~?”

There was no time or option, Calypso took Hanna’s hand, to use her offer to get the cheerleader away from here as fast as possible.

All to see a spattering of blood hitting Hanna’s face. The skeletal monster girl watched in real-time as the cheerleader’s face shifted from seduction to shock.

Hanna reeled back, touching her face. Her eyes so wide that as she whimpered a tad, realizing what hit her.

Before any questions could be asked, the pillar began to shake violently. Causing a massive cacophony of sound that almost sounded like mass death at once, before stopping eerily still.

Everyone below looking up at the ceiling… as it started to rain down more blood.