Chapter 1: Poisoned Confections Poisoned Conversations
Chapter Text
A normal day. It was just a normal day. True it was all saints day but it was just... a normal day.
Then, Valencia appeared, seeming to be happy as can be for herself. Which was of course a bit abnormal, but it was the good abnormal.
The kind of abnormality you welcome. Asking "Oh, what's made your day great?" to be responded with. "I've made some plans. I decided to visit you first. Would you entertain the idea of hanging out?" Which was both even more abnormal. All of it, abnormal yet still, welcome and even now explained. "What are you planning Valencia?" "Oh, nothing to worry about. Just... a vacation I'd call it." "Intriguing... will I still see you about?" "I doubt it. But, that should be expected and even welcomed." "Welcomed?"
"Welcomed. Do you mind if I have some coffee?"
Ignoring the debt, you said yes. Offering her a cup, she had another cup with her to fill from somewhere as well. "Thank you, I've been up for a while..." "Well, would you care to join me for a drink?" A small nod and you both went in the kitchen. Valencia sat down at the only table without anything on it, the one near the fridge and freezer. "Eunoia... would you mind calling me my name today?"
You almost stumbled in your tracks, that was a strange request. "I already call you your name Valencia."
She clarified, thankfully "I mean my real name Eunoia. You know it, I know you do."
Abnormalities upon abnormalities today. "Of course Nashatra-" "Nash is fine." "Nash. Of course Nash." That all aside, you went into the fridge and pulled out two slices of cake. Plating them and then pouring yourself both drinks as well. You didn't quite know what cake this was, it was left by a mafia member. Yet, it looked good and nobody had eaten it so it should be fine to take it. Nobody would mind either way. For the drinks, some cloud coffee a mug for each of you. "Enjoy." "Oh! I will thank you." She smiled. A genuine smile yet something was still off.
Taking a bite of her cake Val- Nash. Scrunched her face up and drank her coffee, personally you didn't think it tasted that bad. "How old is this?" Oh. Right. Foods have expiration dates. Strange thing to forget when you sell them. "Approximately... a few weeks?"
She laughed. She laughed at something that could've gotten her sick. Stranger yet stranger. Her laugh filled my heart yet it was at something so abnormal. "What? Trying to poison me?" A large grin, she was joking you decided to play into it. "Yes actually. Poison in the coffee as well." "Oh no whatever will I do..." You gently smiled at her, a strange joy but joy none the less. A wish of her taking her health seriously yet, finding fun in the play of it.
"I'll try to get you something else." You went to go grab the plate and she grabbed your hand. "No no I'll eat it." "Oh. Oh okay. Uh." She was still holding onto your hand. Sitting there eating her cake, did she forget? Was it on purpose? A game? A ploy? Was it some sort of-
"Oh sorry I spaced out. You must've been annoyed about that." She let go. Oh. She just forgot and you were overcompu- overthinking it. "No." "You look like you could kill one of your own men..." Was your face that strange? "I would not. That would be counterproductive." "You're missing the point I think..."
Another drink of the coffee another bite of cake. Everything went silent for a while. "So. About this vacation. Where are you going?" "Oh a great place... you wont have to deal with me for a while, nor will anyone else..." "Yes but- the place." "Hm... I'd say it's very hot... I'd like to keep you guessing for now."
She was avoiding the question. Something was up. Abnormalities upon abnormalities. It was like she had a reacquiring bug today. "Well I'd rather know." "Of course you would! Oh by the way here." She held out... a letter, even stranger. You took it almost opening it before she stopped you. "Read it tomorrow! It'll tell you where I'm going and where." "And why should I not open it now?" "Because it'd ruin my day." You were joking, but that made you sad to think of in concept. Ruining her day... horrible.
"Either way! I should be on well. My way now. Thank you for the poisoned coffee and poison cake." "I. Didn't actually poison the cake. Or coffee." "Oh." "I was joking. I thought you knew." "Uhm. Either way I have to get back about now."
She looked worse after you had said that. You shouldn't have joked in the first place. Maybe that would have had made everything better. But, she had left walking back to her house.
- -+- - -=+=- - -+- -
A few hours later, you hear a strange noise. A mafia member in the mall screamed out, a few others running over. You might as well see what's wrong.
The house. The 12th house. It's blown up. What. Why. How. When. Where. Why. Why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why w
You've rebooted due to an overload. A right hand brought you to the backroom. You've been disconnected from the rest of your bodies. You don't even know how to process this. How you SHOULD process this. You're the leader of a mafia. You shouldn't react. You were made to be a merchant. You shouldn't react. Merchants wouldn't react. A mafia leader wouldn't react. An android shouldn't even be able to react. WHY.
WHY ARE YOU REACTING. HOW ARE YOU REACTING. WHAT IS THIS. WHAT IS THIS SORROW. WHAT IS THIS. HOW IS THIS HAPPENING.
Nash is fine. She's going to be fine you know that. She's always fine. You could crash and burn and she would be fine... right?
Chapter 2: Papercuts of Oil
Summary:
Hours and hours.
Days and days.
Places and places.
Steps and steps.
Falls and explosions.
Notes:
Please be warned this chapter contains an in-character suicide note! If you are uncomfortable I recommend skipping this chapter or dropping the fic! Part of this chapter also takes place from the pov of an unnamed mafia member from the prev chapter.
Chapter Text
It had been a day. Boss still handn't reconnected to her network and isn't functioning... normally. You're worried yet, it seems right to in a way? You and a few others guessed she'd be shaken up if something happened to that Piehiker... Just not that THIS would be what happened. You had to run the shop. Nobody had ever seen her in that bad of a condition but you were a right hand and you were going to act like it. You needed to support her. Everyone else was trying their best, looking for clues and all. Even if they were... conserning at best.
At worst they just confirmed the truth everyone didn't want to tell her and we're pretty sure she already knows. She's smarter then everyone here afterall.
I. Don't know what to tell her. Nobody does.
- -+- - -=+=- - -+- -
Laying in bed was. Not how I ever expected to spend any of my evenings, mornings, or afternoons. I just. Couldn't manage to get up. I was awake. I was charged. I was aware and could move. I just. Couldn't get up and manage to motivate myself.
Until I remembered that letter. The letter. Why hadn't I read it. She asked me to I had to. Nash asked me to I need to do her last requests of me. Even if they aren't her last. That was the first time I had gotten up in hours. And probably would continue to be, but I had to do what I was asked of. For her, in her possible death.
Picking up the letter was harder then anything I had ever done. Harder then being a mafia boss or running any of the shops all at once. Harder then even being a hivemind android. Harder then any of it. It was just. Overwhelming.
Yet i needed to do it. And so I did.
Dear Eunoia,
I hope this letter finds you well, and after All Saint's day of course. If all goes well, I am dead and my house is exploded with me. I hope my absence will help with your business as my continued debt was a reoccurring problem. I'm sure that you will find other customers despite the lack of sleepwalkers in the area. Even then, I should no longer bother you with my presence asking for discounts or free refills. No longer having to explain your jokes and nature to someone that will not understand. I would never have understood someone as wonderful as you and I'm sorry you had to deal with me. I genuinely would like to apologize for bothering you with my presence.
I understand that I most likely made one last request to spend time with you, and I would like to apologize for that as well. I should not have taken your time, when it is so valuable and precious. To hopefully compensate, for everything I've ever done, all the studs I've taken, everything. I've left what approximately equates to my debt and more in the stud bank at the graveyard sea. Along with the scorpion you gave me. I would like to give it back as it is far more important to be with you, then the ruins of a miserable person's ruins. Let alone be associated with me.
I'd like to apologize for all the time I've taken. From you, from your mafia. From your associates. From all of you. Sabotaging plans, actions, and more. I hope that this can even barely amount to the damage I've done. If you do not mind, and will not carry it with you. Please, care for my beloved Pinecone. It is fine if you cannot. To help I added more studs to the deposit as well. Take them even if you do not care for Pinecone. Afterall, I do not wish to burden you further in death as I did in life.
Yours, Nashatra "Valencia" Bealdhild
A piehiker.
She. You. What. None of that. Why.
Why.
W h y.
I have to take a moment back and just. Lay down again. Hours. It'll be hours until i get up. I should send someone to get the studs. So, I simply do. Same person who carried me to bed. I would rather not involve more people...
More people is just.
Tiring.
- -+- - -=+=- - -+- -
Later, a day later, still awake. Still laying in bed. Spending nearly no charge just. Laying. I was told that she paid back her studs in double. And added a bonus 20k. Why.
Valencia. No. Nash.
Chapter 3: Wooden Metal Metalic Wood
Summary:
Blue Steel
Brown Leather
Notes:
Thank you to Xigeris (Cyrus) for beta reading for me!!!!
Chapter Text
I had finally gotten up today. It took me far too many days. 351 hours, 12 minutes, 35 seconds, system time since I had left my room. And I had finally left. Fully charged despite not charging in hours upon hours.
First order was to repair the 12th house. A strategic resource for our side and possibly a way to get to the waking realm. Yes. That was it. That was all.
I manned the shop and all was as normal. Quiet.
Deafeningly quiet.
Normal.
This. Was normal.
It was normal before, it is normal again.
- -+- - -=+=- - -+- -
It is too quiet. It is far too quiet. Counting the seconds and processes even reviewing footage from other models that I still have not reconnected to. None of it works. It is quiet. Why is it quiet. Stop.
There's no reason for it to be quiet. Nothing has changed.
I am standing here as I was before. I am doing my job as I was before. Why is everything different, why is it different. Nothing has changed.
It is the same.
Why.
It must be a malfunction. Just run diagnostics. Again, and again and again and again and again and... again. Nothing shows up. Something is wrong. Something is wrong with me. My diagnostics program is not working. It must be because I am not connected to the rest of the system. An update. It has to be an update.
I will check for updates the next time I go to rest. That is sure to be fixed that way. It won't be quiet anymore.
I. I will go focus on fixing the 12th house. That is best. I can not properly work at my normal task. So I will try a different one that is being worked on. Yes. That will work that will fix the issue at hand.
- -+- - -=+=- - -+- -
This is hard work- for flesh hands. They seem to struggle to understand how to make a structure support itself. Struggle to move objects due to weight. They struggle with the debris and smoke. I can manage without any issues in comparison. The only issue being simply how to replicate everything exactly. Materials are in no shortage but, a full blueprint is. I assume I will take ten hours to get a minimum ninety percent accurate model. Which won't seem long in the long matter. Everything is being cleaned out around me. Everything important has been removed. The cross. The scraps. Everything. No reports about where she is. It will be fine. She is fine.
Higher up said "Don't tell her! She'll get back into the dumps!" She's gonna learn you dumb fucks! She learns nearly everything the second we try to get a surprise for her! This is... too different to compare but... Then again she's more stable then ever. But, no matter what boss is just. Concerning. We only found the hat and a few other things. Yet even that seems like enough to show her. I'm running the shop again. I don't mind anymore. I'm helping the boss lady out when she needs us most.
She doesn't need to justify things to us anymore. She's still justifying everything. Is it in her code? Is... it something she needs to talk about? I hope she figures it out. The other guys have been worried too. We can't handle repairing the house either. She cares a lot and we understand but. You can't just repair something like that. Let alone can we deal with the rubble. It's right above the abyss as well. One misstep and we loose someone.
Blueprints have been situated and finished. Along with foundations. Minimal injuries to workers and minimal material loss. More then expected. Non-issue in relation to possibilities of what can be gained by finishing the project. Tomorrow we will finish the interior in-case it is important as well. Which is less likely to be properly replicated. Hopefully it is not as necessary as the structure itself. Proper issues may then occur. Yet, hopefully may they be solved.
DalSpence on Chapter 1 Thu 26 Jun 2025 11:32AM UTC
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